The growth was largely driven by the seasonal uplift linked to the Chinese New Year holiday, which provided a significant boost to visitation and casino activity across the SAR.

Holiday Effect Drives Visitor Surge

This year’s Chinese New Year fell on February 17, with Mainland China — Macau’s primary feeder market — observing a nine-day public holiday from February 15 to 23. The extended break translated into a sharp rise in cross-border travel and gaming spend.

Preliminary figures from local police authorities showed that more than 6.69 million border crossings were registered during the 10-day Spring Festival period from February 14 to 23. Of those movements, approximately 1.7 million represented inbound visitors to Macau, reinforcing the city’s reliance on holiday-driven tourism flows.

The February performance highlights the continuing importance of peak travel seasons in sustaining gaming volumes, particularly as Macau’s operators focus on mass-market and premium-mass segments.

Month-on-Month Dip, But Strong Start to 2026

Despite the annual growth, February’s GGR reflected an 8.9 percent decline compared to January’s stronger MOP22.63 billion result. The sequential drop suggests that while holiday traffic provided support, momentum remained uneven on a month-to-month basis.

Even so, cumulative figures for the first two months of 2026 point to sustained recovery. Combined gaming revenue for January and February reached MOP43.26 billion, marking a 13.9 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The data underscores a market that continues to rebuild, supported by resilient holiday demand and steady cross-border mobility, even as operators navigate seasonal volatility and shifting consumer patterns.