A drop in overall gambling activity has not stopped the money coming into Macau, which recorded a 6.1 per cent tax revenue boost for the first quarter of 2019.

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The Financial Services Bureau reports that the Special Administrative Region on China’s southern coast collected around US $3.67 million in tariffs from the gaming industry.

This comes despite slight drops in gross gaming revenue for January and March – the first such downturns since 2016.

Although the figures appear to be at odds with one another, industry analysts have noted there is often a delayed reaction between total revenue and the taxes upon them.

Gaming revenue in Macau is effectively taxed at 39 per cent and includes casino gaming, slot machines, horse racing and lotteries, as well as commissions earned from gambling junkets.

The city was home to 41 casino floors at last count and is heavily reliant on the gaming sector, which is expected to provide $12.15 billion in tax revenue over the course of the year.

However, local authorities are looking to diversify the region’s economy due to diminishing business from the Chinese mainland, where the government is cracking down on gambling-related corruption.