March results
On Monday April 2, the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau published on its website monthly results for March in the SAR. Here they are:
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* 1 HKD = 1.03MOP (Unit:MOP million )
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| Monthly Gross Revenue from Games of Fortune in 2012 and 2011 | ||||||||||
| Monthly Gross Revenue | Accumulated Gross Revenue | |||||||||
| 2012 | 2011 | Variance | 2012 | 2011 | Variance | |||||
| Jan | 25,040 | 18,571 | +34.8% | 25,040 | 18,571 | +34.8% | ||||
| Feb | 24,286 | 19,863 | +22.3% | 49,325 | 38,434 | +28.3% | ||||
| Mar | 24,989 | 20,087 | +24.4% | 74,314 | 58,521 | +27.0% | ||||
Source: Macau DICJ (Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau)
what they say to me
Yes, it’s the strongest non-holiday month ever in Macau. Only last October (with Golden Week) and this January (New Year) had higher monthly win for the casino industry.
On the other hand, we don’t see anything like the almost manic surge in the size of the market that we experienced throughout 2011. We may see some upward bounce in the April and May figures, as the new Las Vegas Sands casino on Cotai opens this month.
There isn’t enough evidence yet to draw firm conclusions. However, if the right way to read the current figures is that the market is plateauing for the moment around the MOP 25 billion level (this is my guess), year on year growth comparisons should begin to narrow as the second half starts.
Although, again, there’s no clear evidence, I’m reading this potential growth slowdown to be the result of economic slowdown on the mainland. If so, as the current expansionary measures Beijing is enacting bear fruit, I’d expect the growth rate to begin to expand again. Timing is the only question.
It’s possible, though, that the plateauing I see is being induced by the leading casinos having reached full capacity–in which case, second-choice casinos should enjoy their day in the sun over the coming months. And the Macau government should accelerate the pace of its approval of new casino permits.
One other point: prior to the mammoth overcapacity the Las Vegas casinos by aggressive new construction during the past five years, only about half of that industry’s profits came from gambling. The rest was food, lodging and entertainment. One would expect that at least the American-owned casinos would follow the same development model in Macau–a move the Macau government is strongly encouraging.
Over the next five years, then, one could expect the gambling market to grow by at least the rate of Chinese GDP, or by close to 50%, and the industry’s profits to expand by a minimum of another 50%–and maybe much more–as non-gambling businesses expand.
Over the next five months, on the other hand it’s less clear how much there will be to cheer about. I don’t see any need to sell the stocks; I just don’t think they’ll run away to the upside.