Corruption crackdown deters Macau gamblers

Shanghai

MACAU gaming revenue almost halved in February as a crackdown on corruption in China kept high-stakes gamblers away during the peak Chinese New Year holiday period.

Gross gaming revenue in the world's biggest gambling hub fell 49 per cent to 19.5 billion patacas (S$3.33 billion) last month, Macau's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau said. This compares with the median estimate for a 54 per cent decline according to eight analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.