Several industry commentators say Texas Holdum, a form of poker that has become popular throughout the United States and around the world, is making a slight comeback in the Macau casino market. But one pointed out that the game's value to casino operators is likely to be used primarily as a marketing tool to attract young customers and foreign tourists targeted by the Macau government under the new concession system.

"Texas Holdum is not the most profitable game for casinos, but it has a 'spillover' effect that returns poker players to other game options as well as other resort facilities such as accommodation, dining and shopping," said Ryan Ho Hong-wei, a lecturer at Macau Polytechnic University's Center for Game and Tourism.

He added, "Online poker games have been widely played around the world, and Texas Holdum has gained considerable popularity among the younger generation in China."

"Poker is gaining popularity in China, but only one, maybe two casinos in Macau, can generate the critical mass needed to make poker attractive to players," said Alida Tash, managing director of industry consulting 2NT8 Ltd and former senior executive of Macau's game market

In a note late last month, Citigroup analysts George Choi and Ryan Cheng observed that Macau concession firm MGM China Holdings opened a poker room at MGM Macau properties, while another opened at MGM Kotai Resort.

"The 200 additional tables MGM has received from the government appear to allow for wider game diversity," the bank added, referring to the allocation of game tables to the operator through Macau authorities

MGM China has been granted permission to operate a total of 750 game tables and 1,700 game consoles under a new license that began in January, according to a filing with the Hong Kong exchange in December.

In the context of pre-pandemic deals before 2020 and local government table caps, consultant Tarsh said Macau casino operators were mindful that the "fees each poker table makes" were "generally lower" than the game tables used for other gaming products.

As a result, he added, "extremely few operators" were offering poker during the pre-pandemic period.

Mr Tash said Wyn Macau's Wyn Macau property on the city's peninsula in the pre-COVID period "provided the best poker room and attracted players with enough stakes to make poker worthwhile."

Texas Holdum's urban gross game revenue (GGR) reached a modern record of $446 million ($55.4 million) in 2019, up 31.2% year-on-year, according to data from the Game Inspection Coordination Agency, a casino regulator in Macau, also known as DICJ. MOP fell again to $35 million in 2020 with travel restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

No Texas Holdum poker-related GGRs were recorded in 2021, and only 10 million MOPs were recorded in 2022. In the first quarter of this year, the segment had a GGR of 90 million MOPs. 슬롯머신

Mr. Tash's position, a veteran of Macau operations, is that "poker players are generally less profitable than other players because they rarely play other games."

He said, "Poker didn't make a profit in Macau because in casinos, winners take the rest. This is different from all other games where casinos take a 100% victory if they lose the gamble," he added.