CASINOS POST 17.3% DECLINE IN REVENUE scmp.com
According to Lusa, Macau casinos recorded revenues of 8.25 billion patacas in revenue during June, down 17% over the same period last year and 6.3% lower than the month of May. The first half of 2009 was down 12.4% year-over-year, with 51.4 billion patacas in revenue compared to 58.7 billion patacas in the first half of last year.
SJM maintained the top spot in terms of marketshare, with 30% of the revenues in June, followed by LVS (26%), Wynn (14%), Galaxy (12%), Crown (9%), and MGM (8%).
HO'S SPORTS BETTING MONOPOLY IN MACAU WINS 1-YEAR EXTENSION scmp.com
Despite calls for liberalization of the sector, Stanley Ho's Macau Slot remains the sole operator of over-the-counter and internet soccer and basketball betting in Macau. The administration of outgoing chief executive Edmund Ho Hau-wah has extended the monopoly by one year.
Rival casino operators and foreign sports-betting firms have expressed interest in launching and managing betting operations in Macau, should the monopoly be broken. Macau Slot struggles to compete with the larger sports-betting market in Hong Kong. Whether or not there will be liberalization of the sector will be determined by the incoming chief executive. Macau Slot is 48% owned by SJM Holdings.