The projection is included in the budget proposal for the semi-autonomous Chinese region for the next year, which the executive sent to the local parliament, the Legislative Assembly (AL), on Wednesday.
The target set by the Government represents a 3.5% increase compared to the revised budget for 2025, approved by the AL in July, which lowered the forecast for gaming revenues to 228 billion patacas (24.6 billion euros).
In the explanatory note accompanying the budget proposal, the Executive states that since May, Macau has experienced a “robust growth in the number of visitors” and casino revenues “maintained a stable growth trend.”
The number of tourists visiting the region increased by 14.5% through September, while gaming revenues rose 8% year-on-year in the first ten months of 2025, reaching 205.4 billion patacas (22.2 billion euros).
This, the Government emphasized, “contributed to the sustained progress of Macau’s global economy,” which is highly dependent on the tourism and casino sectors.
The territory’s economy grew by 8% year-on-year in the third quarter, 2.9 percentage points more than in the second quarter, following the first decline in two years between January and March.
“Looking forward to 2026, it is expected that Macau’s tourism industry can continue its growth trajectory, supported by various favorable factors,” the Executive stated.
However, the 3.5% increase in casino revenues is much lower than the growth rate (8%) recorded so far this year, something the Government attributes to a “prudent financial management principle.”
On Tuesday, after presenting the Government Action Lines for 2026, Macau’s Chief Executive, Sam Hou Fai, had already warned of “the instability of the external environment and the economic context.”
At a press conference, Sam argued that relations between China and the United States “are recovering” from recent episodes of trade tensions, but did not rule out the possibility of a global “economic recession.”
As the world capital of gaming, Macau is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.
The city’s six casino operators pay a direct tax of 35% on gaming revenues, with 2.4% allocated to Macau’s Social Security Fund and urban and tourism development, and 1.6% given to the Macau Foundation for cultural, educational, scientific, academic, and philanthropic purposes.
The direct tax on casino revenues represented 83.3% of the region’s public revenues in the first ten months of 2025: 77.5 billion patacas (8.37 billion euros).
