The company beat total gaming revenue of $1.3 billion in May, slightly exceeding total gaming revenue of $5.3 billion in the five months.
The 31-day figure represents an impressive 24.3% month-over-month increase, while a 482.2% improvement from about $222.2 million recorded in the same period last year, according to a report by Inside Asian Gaming that cited official information from Enclave’s Game Inspection Coordination Bureau.
Macau is home to some of the world’s largest and most famous gambling properties, including SJM Holdings Limited’ iconic casino Grand Lisboa venue and Melco Resort & Entertainment Limited’s $3.2 billion Studio City Macau development. However, these companies have been hit hard since February last year after local officials responded to the coronavirus pandemic by introducing a series of severe travel restrictions and social distancing protocols.
The city’s total gaming revenue improved month-over-month for the fourth consecutive month, up about 28.7% year-over-year at the end of the same five months in 2020. Sources detailed the recovery as Macau began to welcome back the rise in tourists from mainland China, including a significant surge during the recent Labor Day five-day holiday.
Macau’s public security police reportedly explained that the average number of arrivals per day was about 36,400, a 40% increase from the previous month. The group also reportedly said that around 45,000 people entered former Portuguese residences on the first day of the holiday, the highest number since before the coronavirus last year.
Many casinos in Macau saw the region’s total annual gaming revenue close at $7.5 billion last year, which is equivalent to a 79.3 percent drop compared to the closing tally of $36.6 billion in 2019. This coronavirus-induced recession was most pronounced in June of that year, as total sales fell 97% year-over-year to just $89.6 million, a 77.4% year-over-year drop to just over $4.2 billion.
This relative decline in total gaming revenue continued into 2021, but Macau casinos rose 135.6% year-over-year to $914.9 million in February. This much-awaited resurgence grew dramatically in April as monthly earnings improved by more than 58% to exceed $1 billion for the first time