Macau casino shares plunged by as much as 20 percent Monday amid fears that rising Chinese interest rates will drive up travel costs and keep Chinese “high rollers” at home.

The sell-off, which began Friday, paced a broader decline of 4.5 percent on Hong Kong's Hang Seng stock index, with analysts blaming continued uncertainly over European debt.

Among Macau casino companies, Stanley Ho's SJM Holdings fell by 21 percent, its biggest one-day drop since it began trading in 2008. Galaxy Entertainment was down as much as 22 percent, while Sands China and Wynn Macau also suffered double-digit losses.

Despite the grim day on the market, analysts are predicting continued profit growth for the Macau casinos, which are enjoying record revenues. Gambling revenue in August was 57 percent higher than in the same month a year ago.

Total gambling revenue in Macau last year was four times higher than in the Las Vegas strip in the United States.