While the number of Korean tourists visiting Macau, the world's largest casino market, has decreased, local tourism spending by Koreans has actually increased.
Notably, while Macau's casino industry maintains the world's highest Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR), there is significant interest in the lack of concrete statistics regarding how many Korean tourists actually utilize the casinos.
According to the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) of the Macau SAR government on the 26th, the total number of visitors to Macau from January to September this year was 32,181,272, an 8.5% increase compared to the same period last year.
Visitors from mainland China increased by 10.7% to 23,884,916, and foreign visitors excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan also rose by 3.4% to 1,949,417.
In contrast, the number of Korean visitors was 374,590, a 2.1% decrease compared to the same period last year.
This averages out to about 1,372 Koreans visiting Macau per day.
Korea is the fourth-largest market for Macau visitors, following mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, and remains the largest overseas tourism market outside of the Greater China region.
A notable point is that despite the decline in the number of Korean visitors, the per-capita tourism expenditure has increased.
According to the tourism expenditure survey for the first half of this year released by the Macau Statistics and Census Service, the per-capita non-casino expenditure of Korean tourists was 2,489 Macau Patacas (approximately 409,125 KRW), a 20.3% increase from the same period last year.
During the same period, the per-capita non-casino expenditure for all foreign tourists was 2,110 Patacas (approximately 346,820 KRW), a 12.0% increase.
Korean tourists' spending is about 18% higher than the overall average for foreign tourists.
This indicates that although the number of Korean visitors has decreased, the scale of tourism spending on accommodation, shopping, and dining has actually expanded.
However, this statistic does not include money spent on casino games. Therefore, the fact that Korean tourists are spending more should not be interpreted as an increase in casino betting or game usage. (It is known that the betting amounts of Koreans in casinos are at a low level.)
Macau's casino industry is also maintaining external growth.
According to statistics from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), the total Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR) from January to September this year was approximately 187.1 billion Macau Patacas (approximately 30.75 trillion KRW), a 3.2% increase compared to the same period last year.
Gross Gaming Revenue is the amount remaining after deducting payouts from total bets, serving as an indicator of the casino operator's gaming profit.
However, looking at monthly performance, the growth trend is slowing down.
Casino revenue in September was approximately 18.06 billion Patacas (2.97 trillion KRW), a 1.2% decrease from the same month last year. Monthly casino revenue has shown a year-on-year decline for four consecutive months from June to September.
This means that an increase in tourists does not necessarily lead to an increase in casino revenue.
The reality of Korean usage of Macau casinos is also a subject of interest.
Macau has six operators, including Sands China, Galaxy Entertainment, Wynn Macau, MGM China, Melco Resorts, and SJM Holdings, which hold casino licenses and operate large integrated resorts.
Casinos offer various games such as baccarat, slot machines, and sic bo, attracting foreign customers with tourism products that combine hotels, shopping malls, and performance facilities.
With direct flights from Incheon International Airport and other locations, Macau is considered one of the most accessible overseas casino destinations for Koreans.
However, there are no up-to-date official statistics available to determine the number of Koreans who actually used casinos, the frequency of visits, average game expenditure, or preferred games.
Overseas casino usage needs attention beyond simple tourism spending, particularly in terms of responsible gaming and preventing addiction.
Furthermore, while Kangwon Land is the only domestic casino that allows local residents to enter, Koreans can enjoy games at overseas casinos in places like Macau and the Philippines according to local laws. However, betting over a certain amount (pocket money level) at overseas casinos can lead to criminal punishment.
This is why objective analysis is needed regarding how many Korean customers overseas casino operators are attracting and the actual scale of game usage.
The casino industry points out that understanding the purpose of visits and gaming behaviors of overseas casino tourists could serve as important reference material for future domestic casino policy and competitiveness enhancement.
In particular, with the opening of a large-scale integrated resort (IR) in Osaka, Japan, in 2030, the options for Korean overseas casino tourists are expected to expand.
As Macau, the Philippines, and Korea's Kangwon Land face a new competitive environment, the task of systematically identifying the reality of Korean overseas casino usage is being raised.
