The monthly take was bolstered by a five-day national holiday that saw hundreds of thousands of visitors flock to the special Chinese administrative region, which is the only place in China where citizens can legally gamble in casinos.Ĭhina lifted strict COVID-19 restrictions in January, allowing visitors to swarm into Macau for the first time in more than three years.Īround 500,000 people visited the former Portugues colony during the five day Labour Day holiday at the start of May, crowding onto its pastel coloured streets surrounding historical sights Senado Square and the Ruins of St Paul's and packing its glitzy casinos.Īuthorities are keen to diversify sources of income in Macau, which depends on casinos for more than 80per cent of its government revenues, and have imposed strict new regulations on its six casino operators. HONG KONG :Casino revenues in Macau, the world's biggest gambling hub, surged 366per cent from a year ago to total 15.6 billion patacas (US$1.93 billion) in May, the highest since January 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic had still to fully grip China.

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