Macau’s mass market casino growth dramatically outpaced its flashier VIP gambling cousin in the third quarter, but the overall market remains solidly in the dumps.

Figures released Friday by Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) showed total casino gaming revenue of just MOP4.88b (US$612m) in the three months ending September 30, a whopping 93% decline from the same period last year but a 51% improvement from the even more dire Q2 2020 total.

The VIP baccarat segment accounted for MOP2.34b (48%) of Q3’s total, a fraction of the same period last year but up 51% sequentially. VIP’s share of the overall pie increased slightly from Q2 but nonetheless took a back seat to mass market gaming for the seventh straight quarter.

Mass market gaming (including slots) gained MOP1b sequentially to MOP2.5b, driven by a 77% gain in mass baccarat revenue (MOP1.9b). Interestingly, slot revenue fell 13% from Q2 to MOP375m despite the market adding 649 machines to its total in a bid to tempt electronic gambling fans.