Macau has set the maximum number of gaming tables across all casinos at 6,000 and the maximum number of gaming machines at 12,000, effective from the start of 2023, under an executive order of the Chief Executive published in the Official Gazette today (Friday)1. A second order published the same day set minimum annual gaming revenue per table and per machine, also effective from the beginning of 20231.
The minimum annual gaming revenue was set at MOP7 million (US$875,000) per gaming table and MOP300,000 per gaming machine1. The new gaming law, approved and implemented in late June, gives the Chief Executive power to determine the maximum number of tables and machines operated in the city, and the minimum revenue each table and machine must generate1.
"The law also states if the concessionaires cannot meet the minimum revenue requirements, they have to pay 'a special premium' to the government to make up for the difference between the actual revenue generated by the tables and machines and the minimum amount."
The caps sit close to current counts. According to the latest data from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), there were 6,006 gaming tables and 12,042 gaming machines in the city as of end-June1. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the totals were higher: 6,739 tables and 17,009 machines in 2019, according to official data1.
| Item | Cap or minimum from start of 2023 | Level as of end-June 2022 | 2019 level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming tables | 6,000 maximum | 6,006 | 6,739 |
| Gaming machines | 12,000 maximum | 12,042 | 17,009 |
| Minimum revenue per table | MOP7 million (US$875,000) a year | Not reported | Not reported |
| Minimum revenue per machine | MOP300,000 a year | Not reported | Not reported |
What it means for players
The caps and revenue floors apply to operators, not to individual gamblers, and the orders do not set limits on what a player may bet or win. The practical effect for anyone playing in Macau is on the floor itself: the number of table games and slot machines available across the city is now capped, and the totals in place at end-June 2022 were already marginally above the new ceilings, so some reduction in the installed base is implied by the figures. The rules inside casinos, including entry and play, are unchanged by these orders; see rules inside Macau casinos for how venues operate. Minimum revenue per table is a commercial threshold for concessionaires, and it has not been reported how, or whether, operators will adjust table minimums or machine stakes in response. Macau remains the only place in China where casino gambling is legal, as set out in Can I gamble in Macau? and the wider gambling laws in Asia guide.
What happens next
Both the caps and the minimum revenue requirements take effect from the beginning of 20231. The orders do not state how the government will allocate the capped number of tables and machines among concessionaires, and no schedule for that allocation has been reported1.
