JAMES PACKER may not be able to rely on return visits from all of his high rollers when his keenly awaited Macau casino City of Dreams opens later this year.

Revenues at high-roller casinos in Macau are down due to a lack in repeat business because many of their big-spending patrons don't make it back to the tables for the roll of the dice.

Casino owner James Packer.

According to a study of 99 high rollers from mainland China whose gambling habits propelled them into the headlines, 44 per cent were either sentenced to death, murdered, committed suicide or were serving long jail sentences after committing crimes to fund their visits. Zeng Zhonglu, a professor at the Macau Polytechnic Institute, found 15 of the gamblers were sentenced to death, seven committed suicide or were "killed by others", two were given a death sentence reprieve and 20 were serving long jail sentences.

At least 10 Chinese companies collapsed, casualties of the massive gambling losses by big-spending players, known in the industry as "whales".