Eleven satellite casinos in Macau have been approved to continue operating for three more years under the current model, while seven will close, the Macau daily Cheng Pou reported on December 17, 2022. The decision comes as the new ten-year gaming concession contracts take effect on the first day of January1.
The government had 18 satellite casinos on the books when it signed contract extensions with the six operators in June, said Cheong Weng Chun, chairman of the bidding committee. After consultations and preparatory work, 11 were cleared to continue through the new concession period, with the approval of the Chief Executive following an opinion from the gaming committee1.
Of the 11, nine belong to SJM Resorts: Landmark, Kam Pek, Golden Dragon, Royal Golden Dragon, Fortuna, Emperor Palace, Ponte 16, Macau Triumphal Arch and L'Arc. Galaxy Entertainment and Melco each have one, namely Waldo and Grand Dragon respectively1.
The seven that will not continue are all SJM properties, according to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau's June list: Casa Real, Babylon, Golden Dragon, Million Dragon, Diamond, Oriental and the suspended Island casino1.
"最終共有十一間衛星賭場與博企達成新共識並獲政府批准留低，將以現行而毋須以管理公司的模式做多過渡期的三年，另七間則會正式結束，約千九員工受影響"
The closures affect about 1,900 workers. The satellite casinos themselves employed 54 people, 22 of them local residents, and the Labor Affairs Bureau will help them transfer to other work1.
The government introduced a clause during the gaming law amendment requiring casinos to be located in operator-owned properties, without public consultation, which briefly put the future of satellite casinos in doubt. It later offered a transition arrangement allowing them to operate under the existing model for three more years. After that, to continue they must become management companies, collecting only management fees and barred from sharing gaming revenue with operators. Some satellite casinos had already chosen to exit early1.
What it means for players
For anyone gambling in Macau, the practical effect is a smaller field of satellite venues from the start of the new concession period on the first day of January. The 11 approved casinos keep running as they are for three years, so players who use them will see no change to how they operate during that window. The seven closing venues will stop operating, and their staff are being reassigned to the operators. After the three-year transition, any satellite that continues must operate as a management company rather than a revenue-sharing partner, which changes the commercial structure behind the venue but not, on the reported terms, the games on the floor. Details of how individual venues will be run after the transition have not been reported.
What happens next
The new ten-year gaming concession contracts take effect on the first day of January1. The 11 approved satellite casinos operate under the current model for three years from that date.
For more on the venues and entry rules, see Casinos and Integrated Resorts in Asia and Can I Gamble in Macau?.
Sources1 sources
- 七衛星場決結束 十一衛星場獲准過渡做多三年 - 正報新聞, chengpou.com.mo
