Melco Crown Q1 profit falls 75%

Casino operator Melco Crown Entertainment (MCE) saw its Q1 profit fall 75% as Macau’s ongoing revenue slump continued to weigh heavy on the city’s casino concessionaires.

For the three months ending March 31, MCE reported revenue down 22% to $1.05b, adjusted earnings down 35% to $253.3m and net income down by three-quarters to $60.6m. MCE CEO Lawrence Ho blamed the decline on Macau’s “challenging” environment, which had resulted in decreased action at both VIP and mass market gaming tables.

MCE’s flagship property City of Dreams reported revenue down 25% to $806m, while earnings fell 31% to $235.8m. VIP turnover was down 44% but win percentage improved 0.2 points to 3%. Mass market table drop was down a far more reasonable 7.5% but win slipped 1.6 points to 35.9%. Gaming machine handle was down 15% and non-gaming revenue fell 5.6% to $66.7m.

Altira Macau revenue fell nearly 35% to $148.7m and earnings swooned 80% to $6.8m. VIP turnover was down over one-quarter and win rate fell 0.4 points to 2.5%. Mass market turnover fell 22% but win improved nearly four points to 17.2%.