Macau mass market recovery now almost in place
News on 12 Sep 2016
News on 12 Sep 2016
A mass market recovery, touted by many analysts as the solution to Macau’s problems, is almost in place according to a Deutsche Bank analyst who has conducted extensive research and interviews with experts.
Analyst Karen Tang points to increasing gaming spend per visitor, with VIP players starting to return as ‘premium mass players’ heralding the start of a mass-led GGR recovery.
Tang quotes official second quarter statistics that indicate that Macau’s mass GGR rose 4 percent, even though the total number of visitors fell 0.5 percent….and she predicts that GGR growth will accelerate in the second half of the year to 10 percent, and to 12 percent in 2017.
“Our proprietary table count confirms the return of premium mass,” Tang advises in a note. “The proportion of baccarat tables with over HK$2,000 min bet rose from 29 percent of the mass floor in December to 36 percent by July, with min bet rising prominently since then.”
Macau posted its first year-on-year increase of 1.1 percent in gross gaming revenue to US$2.4 billion in August, after a 26-month slump (see previous report).
