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SCMP Reporter

A lot of very big bets on Macau turned sour in 2008. For the record, here's a numerical look at the year that was.
10.34
The number of patacas, in billions, that casinos in Macau raked in during January. The monthly haul stands as Macau's biggest on record and exceeded combined casino revenue on the Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City for the month by more than HK$2 billion.
1.35
The sky-high commission on VIP chip sales, in per cent, that Melco Crown Entertainment's Crown Macau casino began paying its VIP gambling junket partner Amax Entertainment at the beginning of the year. The Crown had struggled since opening in May 2007 but was instantly catapulted by the junket deal to the top of the heap in the VIP segment. Amax's VIP chip sales peaked at HK$42.5 billion in May before beginning a downward slump after rivals matched the Crown's commission increase and expanded credit offerings to players.
36,357
Macau's GDP per capita in 2007, shown in US dollars. Based on this figure, published in March, Macau became the richest place in Asia - leapfrogging past Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong and resource-rich Brunei.
7,930
Median monthly employment earnings in Macau, shown in patacas, as of December 2007. Despite the surge in GDP growth, the average resident remained relatively poor because new wealth was increasingly concentrated in the hands of Macau's wealthiest few families and newly arrived foreign investors.
27
The number of years former secretary of transport and public works Ao Man-long was sentenced in January to serve after being found guilty on 57 counts of corruption, money laundering, abuse of power and related crimes.
3
The number of months that individual mainlanders must currently wait between visits to Macau. Before the launch of Beijing's crackdown on visits to the city in June, travellers from the mainland could apply to visit Macau once every two weeks.
-10.03
The decrease, in per cent, in casino revenue between the second and third quarters of the year. Partly as a result of the restrictions on mainland travel permits and partly as a result of a credit crunch among VIP gambling junket agents, casino revenue fell for the first time in almost three years in September. The fall-off brought a halt to the 50 per cent growth rate seen during the first eight months.
-94.25
The one-year loss,  in per cent, on an investment in shares of Las Vegas Sands Corp during 2008. Sands' stock was beaten up the worst, but all casino shares were left severely battered as investors turned cold on Macau plays. Galaxy Entertainment shed 85.54 per cent for the year, MGM Mirage slumped 83.62 per cent, Melco International Development lost 78.05 per cent and Wynn Resorts fell 62.31 per cent. SJM Holdings, which only made its debut on the Hong Kong stock market in July, ended the year 45.1 per cent below its initial offering price.
24
The amount, in billions of US dollars, that Sands boss Sheldon Adelson has lost this year based on the value of his stake in the company, according to Forbes. The magazine ranked him as the world's 'biggest billionaire loser of 2008', just ahead of stock guru Warren Buffet, who is sitting on a US$16.5 billion loss for the year.



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