Macau’s gambling industry is always doing well, and if 2018’s numbers are any indication, growth in the industry will only continue. In the latest in Casino News, our report of Macau Revenue comes from the report of Macau city’s Financial Services Bureau. The report says that the government was able to collect $13.21 billion in direct taxes from gaming in 2018. This is higher by 13.6% compared to 2017.
Macau Revenue Numbers
The $13.21 billion is a whopping 80% of the city’s whole revenue, which is at $16.602 billion for 2018. These good numbers have also given the city a fiscal surplus of %6.664 billion last year as well. The aggregate GGR, or gross gaming revenue has a 14% increase year-on-year. Now, the numbers are at $37.467 billion. The tax for the GGR is 35%, but there are also additional fees, as well as taxes, that actually bring up the numbers to around 39%.
Sports wagering is also been gaining popularity across Asia and is expected to be a multi-million dollar industry as more countries start regulating sports wagering in their respective countries.
As for Macau’s 2019 estimates, they foresee around $11.257 billion from gaming taxes. And so far, things are good for 2019. Macau has already collected more than $1.26 billion in January. This is from gaming taxes. Compared to January of 2018, this year has a higher collection amount of $200 million.
But market experts are not expecting good numbers for the beginning of the year, especially with Chinese New Year coming in during the first quarter. First-quarter 2019 estimates are at a GGR +4%, plus mid-single digits for the remainder of the year. In essence, the estimates are conservative, and in line with GDP. This proves that Macau is one of the powerhouse casino countries in the world.