Macau September Gambling Revenue Falls 12% But Casino Stocks Soar

By Kate O'Keeffe 

Though the decline in Macau's monthly gambling revenue accelerated in September, casino shares led the Hong Kong market higher as investors found silver linings in the beaten-down sector.

Gambling revenue in the Chinese special administrative region fell 12% in September to 25.6 billion patacas (US$3.2 billion) compared with a year earlier, government data showed Monday. It was the fourth month in a row of declining revenue, extending a losing streak that interrupted five years of rapid growth that transformed Macau into the world's largest gambling center.

The casino industry there is now facing a host of headwinds, however, in particular a Beijing-led crackdown on corruption that has caused VIP gamblers to shy away from the baccarat tables.

September's fall was also Macau's steepest during the current downturn. Monthly gambling revenue fell an average of 4.5% over the previous year from June through August.

Still, shares of Hong Kong-listed casino companies rose sharply in Monday trading, with Las Vegas Sands Corp. unit Sands China Ltd. rising 7.1% to 42.95 Hong Kong dollars ($US5.54) and Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. gaining 6.6% to HK$48.35. That compares with a 1.1% rise in Hong Kong's benchmark Hang Seng Index.

Some analysts said that Macau's poor revenue data was still slightly better than expected and that investors may also have been encouraged by a surge in tourist arrivals during China's weeklong National Day holiday. Visitors to Macau over the first five days of the holiday rose 14.4% from a year earlier, Macau government data showed Monday. "But whether that will translate into revenue, no one knows," said Billy Ng, analyst at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. "I don't know if the stocks are up today for the right reason or the wrong reason," he said.

Daiwa Capital Markets said in a report Monday that the Macau market would likely remain poor in October, citing continued weak gambling play from high-rollers and unseasonably low hotel room rates, among other factors.

Casino executives also said that the Macau government's recent decision to further tighten restrictions on smoking in casinos could adversely affect revenue.

Jacky Wong and Gregor Stuart Hunter contributed to this article.

Write to Kate O'Keeffe at [e-mail]

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