The Macau government is expecting to rack in MOP57.4 billion (US$7.2 billion) in direct tax from gaming in 2011, according to its budget proposal, to be voted on at a first reading this afternoon. Current direct gaming tax in Macau stands at 35 percent of casino gross gaming revenue. That means that the Macau government expects total gross gaming revenue for the overall 2011 to be MOP164 billion or US$20.5 billion. Oddly enough, the government’s estimates would mean that the gaming industry would face a year-on-year contraction in 2011. The total casino gross gaming revenue for the ten months through to October is up 58.8 percent year-on-year to MOP152.11 billion. According to several analysts, most likely 2010 will end with total gross gaming revenue of around MOP180 billion. The Macau government is well known for its conservative predictions regarding the growth of the local gaming industry. This is not the first time that the government budget includes estimates for the direct gaming tax revenue that are lower than what was racked up in the previous year. The same happened last year. Nevertheless, 2011 estimates for direct gaming tax revenue represent a 42 percent increase over the 2010 budget.
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