Economy

Macao's gaming revenues surge 55% in Jan

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-02-02 13:38

MACAO: Macao's gaming sector generated a record high monthly revenues of 13.3 billion patacas ($1.7 billion) in January 2010, which was a significant increase of 55 percent over the same period of last year, the Macao Post Daily reported on Tuesday, quoting unnamed official source.

Before January this year, the highest monthly revenues were recorded in October 2009, at 12.6 billion patacas ($1.6 billion).

The daily also quoted the source as saying that the gross revenues of Macao's 33 casinos averaged about 429 million patacas ($53.6 million) a day.

Among Macao's six licensed gaming operators, SJM, owned by ailing local magnate Stanly Ho, maintained its status as market leader with a share of about 30 percent, which was followed by US-based Las Vegas Sands, acquiring a share of 22 percent, according to the daily.

Macao's gaming revenues for the whole of last year amounted to 119.4 billion patacas ($14.9 billion), an increase of 9.6 percent over the previous year, according to the figures from the SAR's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.