Macau's gaming revenue may recover in February and record low single-digit growth for the first two months of the year despite a 5.6 percent fall in January, Success Universe (0487) deputy chairman Ma Ho-man says.

However, it would be unrealistic to expect a return to the business levels witnessed in 2019 before Covid-19 stuck, he said.

Gaming revenue in January fell 5.6 percent to 18.25 billion patacas (HK$17.70 billion) from the same month a year ago, according to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. This was 27 percent lower than the pre-pandemic level in 2019.

Gross gaming revenue also fell 2 percent year-on-year in December to 18.2 billion patacas.