Melco managing director Lawrence Ho said Mocha is capturing 38 percent of slot machine revenues with only 25 percent of the territory's machines.

Ho told a gambling industry conference in Macau Wednesday that Mocha's 647 machines generated an average HK$1,760 a day last month, while the Sands Macau's 859 machines made HK$1,300 a day and the Galaxy Waldo's 60 machines generated HK$1,020 daily.

He said Sociedade de Jogos de Macau, under whose license Mocha operates, generated HK$610 a day from 1,071 machines it controls outside of the Mocha partnership.

Ho attributed part of Mocha's success to its customer loyalty program, which has signed up 10,000 members in three months, of whom 60 percent he termed ``active members.'' Members, who insert personal cards into machines they play to earn bonus rewards, are targeted with promotions about new games and locations.

Mocha, a venture with Australia's Publishing & Broadcasting in which Melco owns a controlling stake, opened its fourth slots lounge in March in the Hotel Taipa Square.

Ho said he plans to open seven more locations by the end of next year, bringing Mocha's total number of machines up to 2,500.

Separately, Andy Nazarechuk, a hospitality professor from the University of Nevada Las Vegas who acts as a casino consultant, told the conference he expects annual gambling revenue in Macau to reach US$20 billion (HK$156 billion) by 2010 and related non-gambling revenue to reach US$30 billion. He said he expects Macau to attract 40 million annual visits by that time.

Nazarechuk said the average visitor to Las Vegas loses US$200 gambling while Macau visitors lose US$500.zach.coleman@singtaonewscorp.com