Macau casinos leaned on mass market gamblers to an unprecedented degree in the final quarter of 2020, a shift that is likely to persist following China’s war on ‘cross-border’ gambling.

Figures released Friday by Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) show local gambling operators generated combined revenue of MOP22b (US$2.75b) in the three months ending December 31, 2020.

It’s a far cry from the MOP72.3b the market generated in the same quarter last year but a good sight better than the Q3 2020’s MOP9b. The Q4 sum brings the FY20 total to just over MOP61b, barely one-fifth of 2019’s MOP293.3b, reflecting a year of unprecedented challenges for the world’s largest casino market.

The most notable feature of Q4’s results was mass market baccarat’s contribution of MOP11.85b, a nearly 54% share of the overall, while VIP baccarat contributed just MOP7.6b (34.5%), the first time VIP has slipped below a 40% share. Counting non-baccarat contributions, mass market gambling accounted for a record 65.4% of Macau’s overall revenue.