Macau Casino July Revenue Soars

After a small slump in June, Macau fired on all cylinders in July
 
The Macau Daily Times reports that, following a small slump in gambling revenues in June 2010, the operators on Macau enjoyed soaring revenues again in July, continuing the region's impressive progress.
 
Data from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) shows that the casinos brought in MOP 16.31 billion, 19.6 percent more than in June, and up a stunning 70.4 percent on the same period in 2009.
 
Analysts were expecting market growth in the casino sector “to resume” after the FIFA football World Cup, which finished on July 11.
 
Hopes are even higher for the current season, according to Deutsche Bank analyst Karen Tang, who points out that this is the traditional season for holiday and travel. However, she cautioned, revenues could again ease going into the fourth quarter as falling Chinese property prices eventually take a toll on Macau.
 
June revenues in Macau declined 20 percent in comparison with May, when the sector reached a record MOP 17 billion. However, July saw the industry recovering to the extent that it logged its second best month for revenue ever.
 
In the first seven months of 2010, the Macau gaming industry’s revenues climbed 67.5 percent from last year to reach MOP 102.2 billion. If the growth rate remains unchanged, the sector will need less than two months to reach the revenues registered in the whole of last year – MOP 120.4 billion.
 
A month ago the Bureau director Manuel Joaquim das Neves, stood by his prediction of 30 percent growth in gaming revenues for 2010, but he cautioned that the rise would lose steam in the second half of 2010.