Macau's casino billionaires saw their fortunes drop following 2015's 34.3% decline in the revenue of Macau's casinos. The decline also affected stock prices of Macau's six casino concession holders. After a steady surge both in stock prices and casino revenues in early 2014, the six concessionaires' shares lost their value by two-thirds on average. Forbes' Mohammad Cohen quipped that obviously Macau's rich are no longer as rich as they were. 

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Macau's six casino houses Galaxy Entertainment, Melco Crown Entertainment, MGM China, Sands China, SJM Holdings and Wynn Macau suffered after the drop of their share values by an average of 46%.The five concessionaires (Melco Crown exempted) are listed in Hong Kong and are exclusively traded on Nasdaq.

Wynn Macau, a subsidiary of the Steve Wynn-led Wynn Resorts, had the worst year in 2015, following a drop of its shares by 59%. Sands China, a subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands, which is chaired by billionaire Sheldon Adelson, also saw its stock price down by 30%.

Melco Crown shares  fell by 34% - but the impact was cushioned by the opening of City of Dreams Manila in the Philippines. Melco's Co-chairman Lawrence Ho's saw his fortune hit by a 22% drop. Since 2014, his fortune's value already dropped by 54%. He now worth $1.57 billion. Ho's holdings in Tigre de Cristal casino in Vladivostok, as well as gaming ventures in Soviet Republic Georgia and Spain are expected to help him see a revival of his faltering wealth.

The net worth of Lawrence's sister, Pansy Ho, the biggest individual shareholder in MGM China, also suffered a severe decline, dropping from $6.8 billion in 2014 to $3.6 billion. With the decline of MGM China's value by 51% last year, Ho has been dethroned as Hong Kong's richest woman by Nan Fung Group's Vivien Chen at $5.1 billion and Kingston Financial's Pollyanna Chu at $4.1 billion.

Another member of Stanley Ho's family, SJM managing director Angela Leong, also endured the drop of her fortune by $250 million to $1.5 billion after SJM shares plummeted by 55% last year. But since Angela has diversified her investments to include Hong Kong real estate, she seems to have suffered less compared to other members of the family. 

Only the fortune of 90 year old Cheng Yu-tung, who owns shares in SJM through his stake in Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau, seems to have weathered the financial downfall of casinos. His $15 billion family fortune remains steady, thanks to his diversified portfolio which includes holdings in real estate and jewelry interests.

Casino tycoons brace for another year of rough sailing in 2016 as research firm Spectrum Gaming predicts that Macau gaming revenue will drop by up to 10% before the year closes. 

Tagscasino, Macau, casino billionaires, Macau Casino Revenue, Macau Billionaires