Macau casinos record 3.2% GGR growth as visitor arrivals rise 8.5%

Macau recorded 32.18 million visitor arrivals in the first nine months of 2026, an increase of 8.5% year on year, while casino gross gaming revenue rose 3.2% to MOP187.12bn over the same period, according to figures cited in a report. The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) recorded 32,181,272 arrivals from January to September.

Cumulative gaming revenue growth slowed through the year, standing at 24.0% in January, 6.8% by June and 3.2% at the end of September. In September, GGR fell 1.2% year on year to MOP18.06bn, the fourth consecutive monthly decline and the lowest monthly total of 2026, while arrivals rose 15.9% to 3,216,535. About 415,000 mainland visitors arrived during the 25-27 September holiday period, up 19.5% from a year earlier, and monthly GGR still declined.

Shorter visits are one explanation offered for why arrivals have climbed without matching gains in casino spending. Across the first nine months of 2026, the typical stay shortened by 0.1 day to 1.0 day, and those staying overnight averaged 2.3 days. September brought a 0.1-day reduction to 1.1 days overall, while overnight visitors saw their average trimmed by the same amount to 2.4 days.

Day trips drove a large share of September's growth: same-day arrivals climbed 23.8% to 1,933,257, while overnight arrivals increased 5.7% to 1,283,278. Such visitors typically spend on food, shopping, entertainment and sightseeing rather than lodging, so hotels and casinos see little benefit, though attractions and similar businesses can gain from the extra footfall.

For the first three quarters, mainland China stayed Macau's top source market, with 23,884,916 arrivals, 10.7% more than a year earlier. Individual Visit Scheme arrivals climbed 14.3% to 13,153,979. The Taiwan region supplied 882,023 visitors, a 21.3% increase, while Hong Kong SAR arrivals slipped 0.3% to 5,464,916.

International visitor arrivals totalled 1,949,417 in the nine months to 30 September, up 3.4% year on year, below the overall growth rate. In September alone, international arrivals reached 180,821, an increase of 2.6%.

Among Southeast Asian markets, Thailand arrivals rose 34.8% to 154,885. Arrivals from the Philippines declined 5.2% to 363,120 and from Indonesia dropped 16.5% to 122,366; the report did not identify a reason for the Indonesian decline. South Korean arrivals fell 2.1% to 374,590. US arrivals rose 6.9% to 120,071 and Indian arrivals rose 13.5% to 91,857.