Macau Gaming Tax Hits $6.34 Billion, in 6 Months

Macau collected MOP51.2 billion ($6.34) in gaming tax during the first half of 2026, a figure the local government reports as roughly 55% of its full-year target and up 13.1% year-on-year. The half-year haul, worth about US$6.34 billion, keeps the world’s largest casino hub on pace to fund a budget that leans almost entirely on the tables.

At the halfway mark, Macau has already banked more than half the projected MOP92.7 billion in gaming tax for 2026, and this continues the recovery from the pandemic.

A City Built on Gambling

Gaming tax accounted for 86% of public revenue in the first six months, with total government income reaching MOP59.5 billion. The 40% direct levy Macau charges on gross gaming revenue is among the steepest in the world, which is why relatively modest swings in table win translate into billions for the treasury.

June’s gaming tax came in at MOP8.67 billion, up 6.3% year-on-year and 13.3% higher than May.

Recovery, Not a Boom

The framing that fits the numbers is stabilization rather than surge. Macau is not printing the records of its pre-2020 peak, but it is generating enough tax to meet a deliberately confident budget while diversification projects on the Cotai strip mature slowly in the background.

The mass-market floor has proven durable even as high-roller VIP play stays a shadow of its former self, and it is that broader base of players, rather than a handful of whales, doing the heavy lifting on today’s tax receipts.

At a time when more and more players are turning to online casinos, it’s good to see one of the gambling capitals of the world, alongside Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Monaco, posting strong numbers. The Philippines went the other way over the same six months. PAGCOR’s first-half revenue fell 26.64%, and the eGames licensing line it had been counting on dropped 41.85%.