The Cotai Strip is the (still) up-and-coming hot location for gaming companies in Macau. The buildout of casinos on the reclaimed land started with Las Vegas Sands' (NYSE: LVS) Venetian Macau, continued with Melco Crown's (Nasdaq: MPEL) City of Dreams, and recently added Galaxy Cotai.
But with gaming growing at a rapid clip throughout Macau, is Cotai still the best place to be? Despite the additional capacity from Galaxy in the second quarter, it appears that Cotai casinos are still outperforming competitors in Macau.
|
Casino |
Location |
Q2 2010 Revenue (millions) |
Q2 2011 Revenue (millions) |
Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Venetian Macau | Cotai | $581.0 | $735.4 | 26.6% |
| City of Dreams | Cotai | $309.3 | $607.9 | 96.5% |
| Altira | Taipa | $230.6 | $311.5 | 35.1% |
| Sands Macau | Macau Peninsula | $302.2 | $331.0 | 9.5% |
| Wynn Macau | Macau Peninsula | $714.4 | $976.5 | 36.7% |
Source: Company filings. Note: Wynn Encore Macau opened April 23, 2010.
Outside of Wynn Resorts' (NYSE: WYNN) Wynn Macau, which opened an expansion partway through the second quarter last year, Cotai casinos have experienced higher revenue growth than those in the Macau Peninsula and Taipa. Both Las Vegas Sands' and Melco Crown's casinos on Cotai experienced stronger growth than their counterparts. That's important as Cotai's master plan for a slew of resorts and casinos becomes reality.
Las Vegas Sands is preparing to open another casino on the Cotai Strip, and Wynn, MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM), and Melco Crown all plan new resorts there. When complete, the resorts should reinforce each other and keep guests staying longer and spending more overall.
Watching the Cotai Strip grow is like watching the Las Vegas Strip be built from scratch into an entertainment mecca. The best companies in coming years will be those with exposure to the Cotai Strip, which puts Melco Crown and my pick, Las Vegas Sands, ahead of the game.
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