According to Sanford C. Bernstein Ltd, for the first two weeks of June, the average daily GGR was MOP221m ($27.6m), a decline from MOP337m last month. It’s also a 72% drop compared to the same period – from 1 June to 14 June – in 2019, reports GGRAsia.

The Government collected MOP3.25bn in tax revenue from the gaming industry for May. It’s a 541% growth compared to MOP507m that was recorded in May 2020.

It is also a 1% month-on-month increase from MOP3.21bn collected in April. The city’s Financial Services Bureau stated it collected MOP15.63bn in gaming revenue for the first five months of 2021, which amounts to 31% of the MOP50.1bn predicted in the annual budget.

The figures were impacted by the renewed travel restrictions between Macau and the Guangdong province after a spike of new cases in mainland China.

Macau only permits visitors who take the nucleic acid test and have a negative result for Covid-19, which naturally saw a decline in travel.

“The impediments to Macau travel are still largely in place,” said analysts. “Daily visitor arrivals to and departures from Macau averaged only 30,000 during June 7 to 13, which was down 26% versus the prior week of May 31 to June 4, and down 42% versus the April daily, due to the travel restrictions.”

However, the situation in Guangdong seems to have improved and experts believe this will see a renewed influx of travellers between the regions, which should aid GGR recovery.