TLDR
- Macau’s daily gaming revenue rose about 9% last week compared with the week of July 6.
- Citi kept its July gross gaming revenue forecast at MOP21.0 billion, or US$2.60 billion.
- That forecast still points to a 5% drop compared with July last year.
- VIP volume was flat or up slightly, while mass market revenue stayed flat.
- Citi expects a faster recovery now that the FIFA World Cup 2026 has ended.
Macau’s casino industry saw its daily gaming revenue climb last week. Citi reported a rise of about 9% compared with the week of July 6.
The bank said the increase came as distractions from the global soccer tournament continued to fade. Fewer games were played during the more recent week.
Citi estimated Macau’s gross gaming revenue for the first 19 days of July at about MOP12.05 billion. That works out to roughly US$1.49 billion.
Analysts George Choi and Timothy Chau kept their full month forecast unchanged. They still expect July gaming revenue to reach MOP21.0 billion, or US$2.60 billion.
That total would mark a 5% drop compared with the same month last year. Even so, the bank expects the market to improve through the rest of July.
Weekly Run-Rate Improves
Citi said the daily run rate last week averaged about MOP679 million. That compares with roughly MOP621 million per day during the week of July 6.
To hit its full month forecast, Citi said Macau casinos need to average about MOP746 million per day for the rest of July. The bank based its numbers on industry sources tracking daily casino activity.
VIP And Mass Market Trends
Citi said VIP volume was either flat or rose by up to 2% compared with the previous month. Mass market gaming revenue stayed roughly flat over the same period.
The bank also said the VIP hold rate appeared higher than during the week of July 6. A higher hold rate means the casinos kept a larger share of the money wagered.
Citi said the improvement was not tied to one part of the market alone. Instead, both VIP and mass market play showed steadier patterns as the tournament effect eased.
The bank referred directly to the FIFA World Cup 2026, which ended Sunday. With the tournament finished, Citi expects Macau to see a faster recovery in gaming activity.
The bank said Macau’s event calendar for the rest of the summer should support that recovery. Several casino operators have concerts and other events planned through July and August.
According to GGRAsia’s review of promotional materials, these events are already scheduled at multiple Macau properties. Investment analysts have linked concerts by popular performers at Cotai resort arenas with higher gaming revenue at those venues.
Citi said July gaming revenue is still expected to land below last year’s total. But the bank said recent daily figures show the market trending in a stronger direction as the month goes on.
The most recent data suggests Macau’s casino floors are seeing steadier traffic now that the World Cup has wrapped up. Citi’s outlook points to a firmer close to July than the month’s early weeks suggested.
