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Jefferies analyst Andrew Lee said the stronger-than-anticipated Macau gross gaming revenue growth was driven by visitors that had rebooked after postponing Labor Week trips due to bad weather. Given the relatively higher month-to-date revenue, Lee highlighted that the bottom end of the estimated range for May would be the highest post-pandemic monthly ADR. Citigroup raised its estimate for Macau casino gross gaming revenue in May to 20.50 billion patacas ($2.55 billion), up from a previous forecast of 20.0 billion patacas. That GRR mark would represent 79% of the pre-pandemic level for the same month in 2019. Analyst George Choi pointed to higher month-on-month mass and VIP gaming volumes as driving GGR higher. He also noted that concerts by Hong Kong Cantopop group Mirror and the recent introduction of Small 6/Big6 side bets by Sands China (OTCPK:SCHYY) (OTCPK:SCHYF) and Galaxy Entertainment (OTCPK:GXYEF) were positive factors.
Macau gross gaming revenue increased 26% year-over-year in April to 18.5 billion patacas ($2.3 billion), according to data from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. The GGR tally beat the consensus estimate for a rise of 23% and was about 21% below the pre-pandemic level seen in 2019. The April GGR mark was down about 4.9% from the level seen in March, which was anticipated by analysts. For the first four months of the year, Macau gross gaming revenue was up 53.7% from a year ago to 75.9 billion patacas. J.P. Morgan pointed to late strength in Macau GGR during the end of March that may point to resilience in the market.
Looking ahead, Macau tourism could get a boost after the National Immigration Administration announced that residents in eight additional mainland cities are eligible to receive approval for personal and group travel to Hong Kong and Macau.
Macau-related casino stocks: Wynn Macau (OTCPK:WYNMF) (OTCPK:WYNMY), Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ:WYNN), Sands China (OTCPK:SCHYY) (OTCPK:SCHYF), Las Vegas Sands (NYSE:LVS), MGM China (OTCPK:MCHVF), (OTCPK:MCHVY), MGM Resorts (MGM), Galaxy Entertainment (OTCPK:GXYEF), SJM Holdings (OTCPK:SJMHF), (OTCPK:SJMHY), Melco Resorts & Entertainment (NASDAQ:MLCO), Studio City International (MSC).
