Macau's gross gaming revenue (GGR) rose 55.3 percent year on year to 21.9 billion patacas (US$1.27 billion) in the first two months of this year, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) has announced today.
According to a DICJ statement, Macau's 37 casinos' GGR increased 33.1 percent year on year to 10.3 billion patacas last month. However, GGR was down by 10.8 percent month on month.
February's year-on-year growth was a marked slowdown from January's spectacular increase of 82.5 percent.
This year's Chinese New Year (CNY) holiday took place in late January. The government eased its COVID-19 border entry curbs in early January. Both resulted in January's huge GGR growth.
Last month's GGR was still down by 59.3 percent from the figure in pre-pandemic February 2019. Macau confirmed its first novel coronavirus case in January 2020.
Baccarat is local casinos' most popular game of chance, generating 85.6 percent of their GGR last year.
Macau's first casino concessions were granted by its then Portuguese administration back in the mid-19th century.
