Macau casino shares soar on China visa relaxation report

HONG KONG, Sept 21 (Reuters) - Shares of Galaxy Entertainment (0027.HK) rose more than 7 percent on Monday after two casino executives told Reuters that China had eased its restrictions on travel to Macau by residents of China's Guangdong province.

Shares of Galaxy were up 8.67 percent at 0647 GMT and shares of rival casino operator SJM (0880.HK) were up 5.35 percent, while Melco International (0200.HK), which holds a stake in a Macau casino operator, was up more than 9 percent.

Two casino sources told Reuters that China had quietly begun relaxing restrictions for its citizens from Guangdong traveling to Macau, leading to a strong showing for casinos so far this month and big hopes for October. [ID:nHKG158012] (Reporting by Doug Young; Editing by Chris Lewis)