How Baccarat made up for the disappointing numbers in Macau
Baccarat responsible for 60% of revenue in Macau
It was already known that Baccarat is very popular in China. But the fact that it is so popular is somewhat surprising. 60% of the turnover in the first 3 months of 2022 was due to the game Baccarat. Which in Europe is also called Punto Banco. The fact that Baccarat accounted for such a large share of Macau’s turnover will also have something to do with the fact that, due to corona, few Western tourists head for Macau. These Western tourists tend to gravitate towards the popular roulette or live blackjack games.
Poor figures
The first quarter of 2022 was not great. Thanks to persistent corona measures in China, there is still little tourism attracted to the casinos in Macau. As a result, the first quarter of 2022 is the worst quarter since the third quarter of 2020. The fact that tourists stay away from the rest of the world probably causes Baccarat to account for 60% of revenues. If you compare the first quarter with that of 2021, Baccarat was responsible for just over 50% of revenue during that time. This was even lower in 2020 when the share of that popular game accounted for just over 42%.
VIP Baccarat often plays a large role in turnover. VIP baccarat is played in private rooms in casinos, where the richest of the rich come to play their favorite game. It’s not a matter of a few thousand dollars. Here, millions are at stake. Since Baccarat is so popular in China, the success of these VIP games depends mainly on the arrival of rich players from China.
High rollers have it tough in China
However, the Chinese government is waging war against these rich players who leave mainland China in their millions to go and gamble at The Grand Lisboa, Wynn, or other casinos that Macau has. These casinos organized flights for the richest Chinese, who were picked up by private jets and loaded with millions in cash to Macau. The government labeled this as money laundering, so such trips ended.