Sam Hou Fai Holds 2026 Gaming Revenue Forecast at MOP 236 Billion Despite Four Months of Declines
MACAO — Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai said on Saturday, October 10, during the Government Headquarters open day, that the government is holding its 2026 gross gaming revenue (GGR) forecast at MOP 236 billion for now, even though gaming revenue has fallen year on year for four straight months. TDM reported his remarks that evening under the headline that the full-year forecast would not be adjusted for the time being.
Sam noted that cumulative GGR through the end of September stood at about MOP 187.1 billion, meaning roughly MOP 50 billion is still needed in the fourth quarter to reach the annual target. He said visitor arrivals during the mainland's National Day Golden Week in October had risen year on year, and the authorities were watching closely whether stronger visitor flows would translate into firmer gaming revenue, but there was no plan at this stage to revise the forecast. Official figures show September GGR fell 1.2 percent year on year to MOP 18.06 billion.
He observed that Macao's gaming industry grew steadily in the three years after the pandemic before year-on-year declines set in from June this year. The government is assessing whether the slowdown reflects temporary internal and external factors or a normalisation after the post-pandemic recovery lifted the comparison base. Gaming remains the mainstay of public finance: Macao recorded a fiscal surplus of MOP 21.6 billion in the first nine months of 2026, while direct gaming taxes rose 5.9 percent to MOP 74.6 billion, about 83 percent of total government revenue in the period.
Speaking at the same event, Sam also addressed preparations for the 2027 Policy Address. A month-long public consultation has just closed, drawing 3,417 submissions distilled into 9,036 comments and suggestions covering social welfare, social security, economic diversification and civil service reform. He said the government values all views received, that workable suggestions would be studied for inclusion in next year's blueprint, that improving livelihoods remains the core of governance, and that work on the '1+4' diversification strategy and deeper integration with Hengqin would be accelerated.
Sources: Compiled from TDM reporting of October 10, 2026, and Macao media coverage of the Chief Executive's remarks at the Government Headquarters open day.
Source: 澳广视
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：澳门新葡京酒店娱乐场大堂。摄影：Aleksandr Zykov，CC BY-SA 2.0，来源：Wikimedia Commons
