Shows a decline in the sector, even as holiday season visitor numbers are expected to rise.

Casino sales rose 5.7% year-on-year to 24.3 billion patacas ($3 billion) in February, data from the Macau Game Inspection and Coordination Bureau showed on Thursday. January sales surged 36.4% year-on-year in 2017, the largest annual increase in nearly four years.   바카라사이트 추천

Despite overall growth in February, the figure is growing at a slower pace than analysts expected during the holiday season, which begins with the Chinese New Year on Feb. 15. Revenue from gambling operations in Macau, the only one in China where casinos are legalized, was expected to rise 9% at an intermediate rate, according to Bloomberg's previous estimate. On the other hand, according to preliminary government statistics, the number of visitors increased by 6.5% during the national holiday.

According to Bloomberg, the increase in tourists and families visiting Macau is keeping away from casinos in the Chinese autonomous region, one of the largest consumption periods in Macau.

Long-term Outlook for Macau's Game Market
Casino shares fell to a five-year low in the summer of 2017 while Macau's top prosecutor was found guilty of corruption in the summer of 2017 while gambling profits plunged to record lows in 2017.

Gambling revenues are still lower than the 2014 record, but the effects of anti-corruption measures are already diminishing, gambling demand is steadily rising, Macau is working to diversify its entertainment services, leisure facilities, restaurants and retail options, and new infrastructure projects such as bridges linking Hong Kong, Macau and neighboring Zhuhai will also contribute to the city's development in July.

This economic growth is likely to trigger much larger gambling demands, attracting a larger number of casual gamblers and high-profit players.