The driving force behind Macau’s standing as the gaming capital of the world is a “small group” of between 300,000 and 400,000 VIP and Premium Mass players who together contribute 70% of the SAR’s gross gaming revenue.
In a research note titled, “The Rise of Chinese Gaming: A brief history and a glimpse into the future of Macau”, brokerage Bernstein highlighted the growing importance of Macau’s premium customer segments, with premium mass in particular showing long-term growth and a greater propensity to travel.
“It is clear that premium consumers remain critical for long-term Macau growth, as wealthier customers spend more and come more frequently — and the population of this demographic is increasing,” said analysts Vitaly Umansky and Eunice Lee, adding that the city’s 400,000 premium players averaged four visits each to Macau in 2018.
“The biggest growth opportunities are likely to be focused in a relatively tight geographic scope. While we expect Guangdong to remain the key feeder province, Shandong, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Hunan and Henan are expected to deliver significant growth and will be critically important for future growth of the premium customer base.”
Based on Bernstein’s figures, premium customers contributed 70%, or around MOP$212 billion, of Macau’s 2018 GGR despite representing just 1% of its 35.8 million visitors for the year.