Macao casino tax revenues rose by over 9% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, hitting the $7.2 billion mark.
Per figures released by the Macau Finance Bureau and reported by the Japanese-language Macao-based media outlet Macau Shimbun, gaming revenue taxes comprised 84.6% of Macao’s total $8.5 billion tax income for H1.
The influx of gambling-related cash has left Macao with a healthy fiscal balance: a surplus of almost $2 billion. That marks an increase of almost 30% on last year’s balance.
Macao officials have repeatedly targeted a full recovery of casino revenues to pre-COVID-19 levels.
And while progress on this front has been slow, the government has been increasing its casino revenue target figures in its fiscal budget planning on a gradual basis since 2023.
Macao Casino Tax: Gov’t Sets $29B Target
Macao is aiming to raise over $29 billion from casino taxes this year, marking a 3.5% increase from 2025.
The government’s figures show that the casino business is generally up this year, meaning the Bureau is on course to reach its target.
H1 tax revenues were up 4.4% on 2025, but June and July both saw slowdowns.
Casino chiefs have blamed the World Cup for the downturn, and claim that business began “booming” again after the tournament ended.
Consumer spending is also up, Macau Monetary Authority figures show.
Between April and June, mobile payments in Macao increased by 3% from the previous quarter to over $1 billion.
The volume of transactions also grew by 9.7% to 106 million.
The special administrative region has doubled down on its casino and hotel industries by approving a slew of new integrated resort (IR) projects.
Construction at many of these new venues is nearing completion.
In the Cotai District, the Hong Kong-based casino operator Melco Resorts and Entertainment has announced the soft launch of REM, a new luxury hotel in its flagship IR complex City of Dreams Macau.
The 149-room hotel is tailored to VIPs, the lifeblood of the Macao casino industry. It features a dining area, an outdoor pool, and an open-air fitness center.
The soft launch will see a handful of invited guests stay at the hotel “through an exclusive, private invitation-only program,” the firm said.
Melco says the hotel will open its doors to the public in October.
A Three-Year Plan: How Gov’t Aims to Cut Casino Dependence
Despite the casino industry’s growth, the government has also unveiled plans to end Macao’s heavy dependence on the casino industry.
Ng Wai-han, Macao’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, released details of a new three-year plan this week, the Macao Daily reported.
The plan involves raising non-gaming firms’ contribution to the gross domestic product to 60% by 2030.
Per recent studies, gaming revenues currently account for between 45% and 60% of Macao’s GDP.
Ng said the government plans to bolster the non-gambling-related tourism and leisure industries.
She also spoke of Macao’s intention to strengthen the competitiveness of the traditional Chinese medicine and health sectors.
And the minister earmarked the specialized finance, high technology, sports, and conventions sectors for future growth.
The ministry said it will simplify and relax regulations for companies in these industries to achieve “new breakthroughs.”
Ng conceded that Macao has a “current heavy reliance on the gaming industry.”
While gaming revenues dropped slightly in June-July, tourism numbers remained high, suggesting more non-gamblers are now visiting the region.
Macau International Airport said this month that almost 3.9 million passengers used the air terminal in the first half of the year.
The figures represent an increase of around 8% on the first half of 2025.
