Asian casinos operator SJM Holdings Ltd (0880.HK) witnessed a jump of 160 percent in the final quarter of last year in the net profits. Thanks to additional growth in the world’s largest gaming market, Macau, the profit results beat the estimates.

In the former Portuguese colony, SJM is the major operator. According to annual results, it made a fourth-quarter net profit of HK$1.12 billion ($143 million). With 40.1 percent of mass-market table gaming revenue and 29.5 percent of VIP gaming revenue, SJM persists to lead in market share of the Macau casino gaming market. Up from 29.4 percent in 2009, SJM’s overall share of Macau’s casino sector matured to 31.3 percent last year.

However, in morning trade on Thursday, the Hong Kong-listed SJM shares were down 1.3 percent. The firm said that given the general success of the Asian region and the continued vigorous growth of visitation and spending in Macau, the future prospects for the firm are outstanding. The impact of new gaming facilities on Macau’s Cotai Strip, which was built by competitors, was discounted by the firm stating that their casinos were situated in another part of the city.

SJM, as it expands its business, it is at present waiting for government endorsement for a plan to develop a site on Cotai.

Meanwhile, for the year ending December 31, mainland online service provider Tencent (0700) recorded a 56.2 percent jump in net profit to 8.05 billion yuan (HK$9.55 billion).

Without disclosing details, president Martin Lau Chi-ping said that the firm would make considerable investments in the existing platform, as profit grows.