Macau casinos unveil New Baccarat Side Bets ahead of Golden Week

Anchal Verma October 4, 2024

SiGMA news

Macau casinos unveil New Baccarat Side Bets ahead of Golden Week

Macau’s casinos are introducing two new baccarat side bets, “Lucky 7” and “Super Lucky 7,” just in time for the busy October Golden Week holiday. These new betting options have received the green light from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. With baccarat already being the city’s most popular game, the new side bets could further boost casino revenue.

New Baccarat Side Bets Lucky 7 and Super Lucky 7

In Macau, baccarat reigns supreme, accounting for a massive 85% of the region’s total gross gaming revenue. Now, with the arrival of “Lucky 7” and “Super Lucky 7,” the game is about to get even more thrilling.

The “Lucky 7” side bet offers some simple yet thrilling payouts. Players can win 6-to-1 if a “player” hand with a face value of seven is made with two cards. If the hand reaches seven points using three cards, the payout jumps to 15-to-1. The “Super Lucky 7” bet brings a bit more complexity and excitement. It features three payout options, with the highest reward being 100-to-1 when a three-card “player” hand with seven points beats a “banker” hand with six points. Other payouts include 40-to-1 and 30-to-1, depending on the hand’s composition.

Debut timed for golden week tourist boom

The timing of these new side bets couldn’t be better. October Golden Week is one of the busiest periods for Macau’s casinos, with hundreds of thousands of tourists from mainland China expected to visit the city.
Over just the first three days of the holiday week this year, Macau welcomed nearly 480,000 visitors—an average of 159,545 people per day. The surge in arrivals is expected to continue throughout the week, with daily records already being broken. On Thursday, the city hit a new high with 174,234 visitors, surpassing the previous day’s record of 166,061.

Expectations for a revenue boost

Macau’s casinos have been experiencing strong growth post-COVID, with May’s Golden Week bringing in MOP 20.19 billion (USD 2.53 billion) in gross gaming revenue—the highest monthly total since the pandemic began. The introduction of new gaming options like “Lucky 7” and “Super Lucky 7” could help sustain this momentum as the region continues to recover.

Macau’s growing appeal

Beyond the casino floors, Macau’s appeal as a tourist destination continues to grow, particularly among visitors from mainland China. The city has already set new records this year for daily and monthly visitor numbers, and with the Golden Week holiday in full swing, expectations for even higher figures are mounting. As tourists continue to flood into the city, Macau’s casinos are ready to offer them new and exciting ways to win big.

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