written and last updated by
Sam Smith at
01 Jun 2023
Journalist, Editorial Department
The release of the latest monthly revenue reports from Macau and Las Vegas allows for a comparison of these two major gambling hubs. In May, the Chinese enclave generated $760 million (62.74 billion rubles) more than Las Vegas casinos, although Macau still has significant room for growth.
For the state of Nevada, May proved to be a profitable month, with revenues rising by 3% to $1.16 billion (95.76 billion rubles). Of this total, $995 million (82.14 billion rubles) came from Clark County, home to the famous Las Vegas Strip. Slot machines contributed $389.4 million (32.14 billion rubles), marking an 8% increase. Blackjack also showed positive growth, bringing in $74.1 million (6.11 billion rubles), up by 6%.
In contrast, Macau reported a staggering 366% year-on-year increase in May revenues, totaling $1.92 billion (158.5 billion rubles). However, these figures still fall short of pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, Macau's revenue reached $36 billion (2.972 trillion rubles), and this year, the annual figure is projected to be around $16 billion (1.32 trillion rubles).
This lag is partly attributed to a decrease in Macau's share of the Asian VIP gaming market, which has dropped from 66% to 41%. Meanwhile, its main competitor, Singapore, has seen growth in this segment, increasing its share from 8% to 21%. This information was presented at G2E Asia.
The financial performance of these two global gaming centers over the past three years has been shaped by the local governments' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the U.S., Las Vegas casinos were able to reactivate their operations as vaccination efforts began to yield results. In contrast, China adopted a strict policy of restrictions, which led to significant losses in revenue and visitor numbers for Macau over the past few years.
Meanwhile, the G2E Asia 2023 Special Edition international exhibition is currently taking place in Singapore.
