Las Vegas Sands and MGM Resorts Face Slowing Gambling Revenues in Macau

NEW YORK, NY -- (Marketwire) -- 08/14/12 -- After a strong start to the year, casino stocks have begun to falter as Macau's gambling revenue growth has slowed. The Market Vectors Gaming ETF (BJK) -- which replicates an index consisting of publicly traded companies engaged in the global gaming industry -- has fallen roughly 10 percent in the last three months. Five Star Equities examines the outlook for companies in the Resorts & Casinos Industry and provides equity research on Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM).

Access to the full company reports can be found at:

www.FiveStarEquities.com/LVS

www.FiveStarEquities.com/MGM

Macau's gambling revenue in July saw its slowest growth in over three years. The Chinese gaming region's July revenues totaled $3.08 billion dollars, a 1.5 percent year-over-year increase. July's growth was the slowest since June 2009, during the financial crisis. China's gambling mecca has seen a decrease in demand as their "VIP" gamblers from mainland China have been feeling the effects of a slowing Chinese economy.

Grant Govertsen, analysts at Macau based Union Gaming, expects gaming revenues to see low-single-digit growth in August before bouncing back to double digits in September. "All in, we are expecting third-quarter gross gaming revenue growth in the mid-single-digits. Looking further out, we expect full-year 2012 GGR growth to reach the teens," said Grant Govertsen.

Five Star Equities releases regular market updates on the Resorts & Casinos Industry so investors can stay ahead of the crowd and make the best investment decisions to maximize their returns. Take a few minutes to register with us free at www.FiveStarEquities.com and get exclusive access to our numerous stock reports and industry newsletters.

According to a recent Wall Street Journal article Sands China Ltd. is currently being probed by the U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission for possible bribery violations. The investigation follows allegations made by Steve Jacobs, the former head of Macau operations, in a wrongful-termination lawsuit.

Despite reports of a slowdown in Macau's gaming market MGM Resorts International's chief executive Jim Murren remain bullish on their Macau prospects. Murren told Reuters that he expects their $2.5 billion casino in the Cotai district to soon be approved by the Macau government. "I would expect we will be in the ground starting this year and keeping to our timetable to open this resort in late 2015," he said.

Five Star Equities provides Market Research focused on equities that offer growth opportunities, value, and strong potential return. We strive to provide the most up-to-date market activities. We constantly create research reports and newsletters for our members. Five Star Equities has not been compensated by any of the above-mentioned companies. We act as an independent research portal and are aware that all investment entails inherent risks. Please view the full disclaimer at:

www.FiveStarEquities.com/disclaimer

Add to Digg Bookmark with del.icio.us Add to Newsvine