Macau gaming patronage still booming amid smoking rule

Gaming action highly intense at the Grand Waldo.

According to Maybank Kim Eng, Shun Tak Centre was teeming with mainland Chinese tourists eager to make their way to Macau. Without prior bookings, it was easily a two-hour wait for the first available ferry ticket. 

"Generally, we found that patrons in nearly all the casinos we visited have become accustomed to the smoking rule, with no slowdown in activities in most areas of the mass market gaming floors where smoking is prohibited. The gaming action was most intense at the Grand Waldo sic bo table area," said Maybank.

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We note that Wynn’s Encore casino seemed to be the most active in the afternoon compared to traffic at the rival casinos. Since minimum bets within the segment are similar between properties, we believe premium customers are more discerning with where they make their bets. 

Our top picks for the sector areGalaxy (27 HK, BUY, TP: HKD42.80) and Melco International Development (200HK, BUY, TP: HKD18.60).