With the unspoken threat of renewed visa restrictions and other controls that would cool the explosive growth of Macau gaming revenues, January's report followed a pattern that was set last summer when revenues reversed their previous declines with dramatic increases.

January revenue hit an all-time high of 13.3 billion patacas ($1.7 billion), topping the October 2009 figure of 12.6 billion patacas ($1.6 billion). The amount was 55 percent higher than that posted in January 2009. Gross revenues for Macau's 33 casinos averaged about 429 million patacas ($53.6 million) a day.

While the report sent share prices for companies with Macau properties soaring (Sands China, SJM Holdings, Galaxy Entertainment and Melco Crown rose more than 5 percent each, while the Macau unit of Wynn Resorts was up over 3 percent), fears remained that the Chinese government would put the brakes on by re-imposing visa restrictions that prevented mainland gamblers from visiting Macau more than once every three months.

SJM, controlled by former monopoly holder Stanley Ho, garnered a market share of 30 percent, while Las Vegas Sands captured 22 percent. SJM predicts its percentage could go higher.

"We hope to keep our market position but our new casinos, namely Ponte 16, Oceanus and L'Arc, are performing well and growing," Ambrose So Shu-fai, the company's chief executive officer, told the Lusa news agency. "If they keep performing like that, we may increase some market points over the year."

By GGB Staff

Staff writers for Global Gaming Business magazine. Las Vegas, Nevada.