Macau Puts Cap on Table Games
NEW YORK (
) -- Macau is putting a cap on table games, as the Chinese gambling hub looks to diversify the city's economy.
Earlier this week, government official Francis Tam said Macau will allow 500 new table games in the next three years, bringing the number to 5,500. All unapproved projects have also been stymied in order to promote orderly growth.
Gaming currently comprises 70% of Macau's revenues.
This is a positive for
Las Vegas Sands
(LVS) - Get Report
,
Wynn Resorts
(WYNN) - Get Report
and
Melco Crown Entertainment
(MPEL)
, as it stops "lesser" casinos from flooding the market with tables in the same facility, Sterne Agee analyst David Bain wrote. It also will increase the yield per table over time as the market continues to grow.
New projects from Sands and
Galaxy Entertainment
have already been included in this cap. Galaxy is building a flagship casino on the Cotai strip, which will add about 600 table games, and Sands is adding an expansion, which will result in about 700 tables.
Wynn may also been in the process of looking to build a new casino, Bain said, though it has not been confirmed. Still, according to Bain, the "5,500 seat limit seems to allow for another large development outside of Galaxy and Las Vegas Sands."
-- Reported by Jeanine Poggi in New York.
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