Emperor Entertainment Hotel Limited announced that the casino at its Grand Emperor Hotel in Macau will cease operations, because it will not renew the service agreement with gaming concessionaire SJM that was set to expire on June 261. The announcement places the property among the satellite casinos in Macau whose future has been in question during the drafting of new gaming rules1.
The Grand Emperor is one of 18 operational satellite casinos among Macau's 40 casinos, 14 of which run under the license of SJM Holdings Ltd, with the other four linked to Galaxy Entertainment Group and Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd1. Satellite casinos are establishments technically operated by concessionaires or sub-concessionaires but owned and promoted by third parties who are also involved in day-to-day management1.
The closure comes as the Macau SAR Executive Council advanced a law proposal on March 31 to regulate junket operators, their sub-agents, managing entities and their relation to gaming concessionaires1. Under that draft bill, managing entities responsible for satellite casino properties would be allowed to establish business contracts with only one gaming concessionaire, would be barred from managing financial activities related to casinos, and could charge only management expenses to the concessionaire, with any sharing of gaming income prohibited1. Fines for managing entities would range from MOP100,000 to MOP1.5 million1. Any contract between a gaming operator and a concessionaire would have to be submitted to the Macau SAR Chief Executive for approval1.
"Emperor Entertainment Hotel Limited also announced that the casino located in its Grand Emperor Hotel will cease operations as they will not renew the service agreement with gaming concessionaire SJM set to expire on June 26."
Macao Daily News reported on March 24 that seven satellite casinos were planning to stop operations by mid-year, citing tightening of visa applications to Macau, lack of cash flow and the negative impact of repeated pandemic outbreaks1. Four of the casinos said to be closing were linked to Chan Meng Kam's Golden Dragon Group1.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Operator | Emperor Entertainment Hotel Limited1 |
| Venue | Casino at Grand Emperor Hotel, Macau1 |
| Concessionaire | SJM1 |
| Agreement expiry | June 261 |
| Satellite casinos in Macau | 18 of 40 casinos1 |
| Satellite casinos under SJM | 141 |
| Fines for managing entities under draft bill | MOP100,000 to MOP1.5 million1 |
What it means for players
The Grand Emperor casino will stop operating when the SJM service agreement expires on June 26, so players who used that floor will need to look to other venues. Macau still has 40 casinos in total, 18 of them satellite properties, so the closure removes one option rather than the market1. Visitors and locals should note that the draft bill would change how satellite casinos are run: managing entities would be limited to one concessionaire, barred from casino financial activities and prohibited from sharing gaming income, which affects who operates a floor and how it is managed1. The bill also makes managing entities criminally responsible when a concessionaire, junket promoter or sub-agent illegally accepts cash or other deposits under their name, an infraction carrying two to five years in prison1. No changes to entry rules, game rules or player protections at other Macau casinos have been reported in connection with this closure.
What happens next
Under the draft bill, after an initial three-year transition period, casino properties owned by independent investors would be either permanently closed or acquired by the six prospective concessionaires1. Macao Daily News reported that seven satellite casinos planned to stop operations by mid-year1. Further announcements from other satellite operators have not been reported.
