The figure, from Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), does however represent a huge change from last month’s total of MOP$398m, the city’s worst monthly performance since the pandemic began, with Covid restrictions taking their toll. The total represented a 95% drop in GGR year-on-year, and continued a general downward trend.

Despite GGR falling 51% from August 2021, the year-on-year downward trend has seemingly halted for August 2022, with the monthly rise providing at least some positivity to interested parties.

August’s figure of MOP$2.18bn does, however, represent the second-lowest total of 2022 so far, after July’s MOP$398m. It almost reached June’s MOP$2.47bn, the next lowest figure in the list, but it is some way off February’s MOP$7.75bn, the highest total of 2022 so far.

February is the only month of the year so far not to report a year-on-year decline, with GGR climbing 6% from February 2021.

The low figures and year-on-year declines in 2022 have been attributed partly to a decrease in cross-border and cross-provincial travel from mainland China, as a result of China’s Zero Covid policy.

GGR now stands at MOP$28.85bn for the year so far, with that figure representing a 53% year-on-year decline. At this stage last year, Macau GGR was MOP$61.9bn.