{"id":777012481,"date":"2024-01-18T09:48:39","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T12:48:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777012481"},"modified":"2026-04-22T13:54:30","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T16:54:30","slug":"macau-gaming-sector-ebitda-to-recover-to-82-of-pre-pandemic-levels-in-q4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/macau-gaming-sector-ebitda-to-recover-to-82-of-pre-pandemic-levels-in-q4","title":{"rendered":"Macau gaming sector EBITDA to recover to 82% of pre-pandemic levels in Q4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Brokerage firm CLSA predicts Macau casino operators will post an adjusted EBITDA of MOP15.9bn (US$1.97bn) for the fourth quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"background-color: transparent;font-size: revert\">Macau.- <strong>Analysts at CLSA<\/strong> have anticipated an<strong> 8 per cent quarter-on-quarter surge in adjusted EBITDA for the fourth quarter of 2023<\/strong>, reaching MOP15.9bn (US$1.97bn). This recovery indicates positive momentum in the industry, as it has reached 82 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"background-color: transparent;font-size: revert\">According to CLSA&#8217;s analysis, <strong>the EBITDA margin of the sector is expected to remain stable at 24 per cent in comparison to the overall gross gaming revenue (GGR) <\/strong>before netting rebates, on a quarter-on-quarter basis.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><strong style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">Jeffrey Kiang<\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">,\u00a0<\/span><strong style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">Stella Liu<\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">, and<\/span><strong style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">\u00a0Leo Pan<\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">, analysts at CLSA,<\/span><strong style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">\u00a0<\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">have recognised key areas of focus for investors during the upcoming Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday period, including the potential for EBITDA margin growth, rebates, and operational granularity.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent;font-size: revert\">The researchers noted a resurgence in hotel bookings in Macau, with prices showing a significant year-on-year increase. Four weeks ahead of the CNY weekend (February 10-11), the average hotel prices have risen by 27 per cent. In fact, CLSA&#8217;s survey of 33 hotels revealed that 10 are already fully booked for the CNY weekend.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent;font-size: revert\">Despite adjustments in corporate expense forecasts and a slight reduction in sector EBITDA projections for 2023 and 2024 to US$6.1bn and US$8.4bn, respectively,<strong> CLSA maintains its 2024 GGR forecast at US$29.2bn<\/strong>. This represents a 30 per cent year-on-year growth, with mass GGR for 2024 expected to surpass the 2019 level by 18 per cent.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\" href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/macau-ggr-up-333-8-in-2023\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">Macau\u2019s GGR for 2023 was MOP183.06bn<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">\u00a0(US$22.75bn). That\u2019s a rise of 333.8 per cent\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\" href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/macau-gaming-revenue-down-51-in-2022\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">when compared to 2022<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><\/p><h2 style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;font-weight: normal\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">Macau mass baccarat GGR surges 12.6% in Q4<\/span><\/h2><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><\/p><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><strong style=\"background: transparent;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau<\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">\u00a0reported that mass baccarat gaming revenue was MOP33.53bn (US$4.16bn) in the fourth quarter of 2023. That\u2019s a rise of 12.6<\/span><a style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;color: #4a6ee0\" class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/macau-vip-baccarat-revenue-drops-by-3-2-in-q3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">\u00a0per cent sequentially<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent;font-size: revert\">According to authorities, this figure also represented approximately 109.2 per cent of the mass-market baccarat gross gaming revenue (GGR) in the same quarter of 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><strong style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">VIP baccarat experienced a 7.9 per cent quarter-on-quarter rise<\/strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\" style=\"background: transparent;font-size: revert;margin-top: 0pt;margin-bottom: 0pt\">, contributing MOP12.70bn and accounting for around 39.3 per cent of the fourth-quarter 2019 levels. VIP baccarat held a 23.5 per cent market share of GGR in the final quarter of 2023.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><p style=\"background: transparent;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt\"><span style=\"background-color: transparent;font-size: revert\">Slot machine revenue was also up 4.1 per cent quarter-on-quarter to MOP2.97bn, with a market share of approximately 5.5 per cent. The mass-market segment, including slot machines, surpassed MOP41.41bn, constituting nearly 76.5 per cent of Macau\u2019s casino GGR for the three months ending December 31.<\/span><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Brokerage firm CLSA predicts Macau casino operators will post an adjusted EBITDA of MOP15.9bn (US$1.97bn) for the fourth quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":27875,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"CLSA forecasts Macau casino operators to report MOP15.9bn (US$1.97bn) in adjusted EBITDA for Q4 2023, an 8% QoQ surge, reaching 82% of pre-pandemic levels. The firm maintains its 2024 GGR forecast at US$29.2bn, anticipating a 30% YoY growth, with mass GGR surpassing 2019 levels by 18%. This robust recovery is driven by strong mass-market performance, particularly in baccarat, and increased hotel bookings ahead of Chinese New Year.","focusai_entities":"CLSA, Jeffrey Kiang, Stella Liu, Leo Pan, Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau","focusai_location":"Macau","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.95), regulator (0.75), operator_casino (0.98), marketing_crm (0.7), investor_analyst (0.99), supplier_vendor (0.7), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"EBITDA Margin Sustainability?","query":"Given the anticipated stability of the 24% EBITDA margin relative to GGR, what operational efficiencies or revenue mix shifts are critical for Macau operators to sustain or improve this margin in 2024, particularly with the mass market surpassing 2019 levels?"},{"label":"VIP Segment Recovery Strategy?","query":"With VIP baccarat GGR still at only 39.3% of Q4 2019 levels despite a QoQ rise, what specific strategies are Macau operators implementing to accelerate the recovery of the high-roller segment, and what regulatory or market factors could impede this progress?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[157,16338],"tags":[23906],"class_list":["post-777012481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business-news","category-east-asia-news","tag-macau-casinos"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777012481","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777012481"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777012481\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777012482,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777012481\/revisions\/777012482"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777012481"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777012481"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777012481"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}