When Macau started flexing its muscle last year in the upscale gaming market, revenues at Australian casinos started to shrink.
But analysts say that as China continues to loosen international travel restrictions on its wager-loving citizens, a potential surge in Chinese tourists to Australia could bring a reversal of fortunes.
Revenue from high-rollers dropped 40 per cent in the second half of last year, by A$14 million ($85.1 million), at the VIP rooms at Jupiters Casino on the Gold Coast and Treasury Casino in Brisbane, both operated by Tabcorp Holdings.
Crown Casino in Melbourne also took a blow, analysts say, because 20 per cent of its revenue comes from VIPs - the highest percentage of any gaming establishment in Australia.
'We have definitely seen a softening of that market in the past six months,' said analyst Tony Waters of CCZ Statton Equities. 'The trend will continue in the next two to three years, but it's too early to tell how much.'
But some analysts doubt the slump at Australia's casinos will persist and question its connection to Macau, noting that international gamblers account for only 30 per cent of their visitors on average.