Macau sees gaming tax revenue increase by 18 percent in first quarter

Macau’s government has seen its take from direct taxes on gambling increase by 17.7 percent year-on-year in the first quarter of 2018, say the city’s Financial Services Bureau.

The city collected approximately MOP26.30 billion (US$3.25 billion) in fiscal revenues compareed with MOP22.34 billion collected in the same period of 2017.

Direct taxes from gaming brought in 84.5 percent of the Macau government’s total revenue in the three months to March 31, which stood at MOP31.12 billion.

According to official data from Macau’s gaming regulator the city’s aggregate casino gross gaming revenue (GGR) for the first quarter was MOP76.51 billion, up 20.5 percent from the prior-year period.

Macau levies a tax rate of 39 percent on casino GGR – 35 percent in direct government tax, and the remainder in a variety of levies to pay for a range of community good causes.

The city’s government fiscal surplus for the January-March period was up by 20.8 percent year-on-year to nearly MOP15.72 billion.

Macao’s government forecasts GGR will be MOP230 billion in 2018 and it expects to collect a total of MOP82.41 billion in fiscal revenue from direct taxes on gaming this year.