Monday September 1,2014 : MACAU REVENUES DIP FOR THIRD MONTH RUNNING
August revenues lower than anticipated as Chinese punters cut spending.
Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau released its Macau gambling numbers for August Monday, reporting that casino revenue declined for the third consecutive month as mainland Chinese punters cut their spending.
The numbers are lower than analyst expectations at 28.9 billion patacas ($3.6 billion) – a 6.1 percent decline significantly greater than the 2 percent dip expected by analysts, prompting several to predict that the slump will continue in September and could persist into the fourth quarter.
Observers say that wealthy Chinese gamblers are nervous of drawing attention to themselves amidst a serious anti-corruption drive and a softer economy throughout the nation.
The three month decline commenced in June with a 3.7 percent drop – the first in five years for Macau – and continued through July and into August.
Bloomberg business news notes that China's ruling and authoritarian Communist Party announced a crackdown on corruption and lavish spending, and its most intense probe into graft in 60 years, on July 29, creating a dampening effect on high stakes spend.
The property market has also become a drag on the world’s second-biggest economy, with new-home prices falling in July in almost all cities as tight mortgage lending deterred buyers.
Share prices in land gambling companies operating on the offshore gambling enclave have taken a hit, exacerbated by a worker's strike by casino employees demanding more pay.