Wynn Resorts (Macau) signs new gaming concession contract with Macau government

Wynn Resorts (Macau), the company that owns and operates Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau, signed a new ten-year gaming concession contract with the Macau government on 16 December 2022¹. The concession runs from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2032¹.

The award followed a public tender in which six concessions were offered for a maximum term of ten years and seven bidders had their tenders accepted³. Wynn's award was formalized by an administrative order dated 15 December 2022⁶. The same date carried orders granting concessions to Venetian Macau, Melco Resorts (Macau) and SJM Resorts³. Under the tender rules, each winning bidder had to show paid-up share capital of not less than MOP 5 billion held in cash with a credit institution authorized in Macau, provide a guarantee for its legal and contractual obligations, and be confirmed as having the proper qualifications and financial capacity³.

The contract itself sets the terms. The concession term is ten years, from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2032, and the contract takes effect from 1 January 2023⁷. It excludes mutual betting, betting offered to the public, interactive gaming, and gaming on ships or aircraft⁷. Casinos must be open continuously, all year, and must sit in property owned by the concessionaire⁷. Share capital may not be less than MOP 5 billion, and net asset value may not fall below that amount during the concession⁷. The managing director must be a permanent resident of Macau and hold at least 15 percent of the concessionaire's share capital⁷.

The contract also sets the annual charges.

The total may not fall below the amount payable for operating 500 tables and 1,000 machines⁷. Special gaming tax is paid monthly, by the tenth day of the following month⁷. An independent bank guarantee of MOP 1 billion covers the period from 1 January 2023 to the end of the contract or termination plus 180 days⁷. Transferring all casino or gaming area operating rights carries a penalty of MOP 2 billion; partial transfer, MOP 1 billion⁷.

Wynn's own filings describe the same contract. The company states it signed the new concession with the Macau government on 16 December 2022 and operates both integrated resorts under it¹. As of 31 December 2024, Wynn Palace had about 468,000 square feet of casino space with 303 gaming tables and 598 slot machines or similar electronic gaming devices, 1,706 rooms, suites and villas, and 14 food and beverage outlets¹. Wynn Macau had about 294,000 square feet of casino space with 257 tables and 696 machines, 1,010 rooms and suites, and 12 food and beverage outlets¹. The 2023 filing, covering the year the concession began, listed 304 tables and 554 machines at Wynn Palace and 259 tables and 530 machines at Wynn Macau².

What it means for players

The concession fixes who may run casinos in Macau and for how long. Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau continue to operate under a license that runs to 31 December 2032¹. The contract requires casinos to stay open continuously, all year, except in cases the Chief Executive requires or permits⁷. Gaming is limited to the types the law allows; the contract excludes mutual betting, betting offered to the public, interactive gaming, and gaming on ships or aircraft⁷. The table and machine counts reported by Wynn are the operator's own figures at the dates given, and the contract allows the number of tables and machines to change with prior notice to the gaming regulator⁷. The rules on who may hold a concession, and how to check a license, are set out in our guide to gambling regulators and licenses in Asia. For background on how Macau's licensing reached this point, see our history of gambling in Macau, and for the basics of playing there, can I gamble in Macau.

What happens next

The concession took effect on 1 January 2023 and expires on 31 December 2032¹. Wynn states it is in the design stage for the next phase of Wynn Palace, which it expects to include a theater, expanded event space, specialty dining and other non-gaming offerings¹. No further steps beyond the contract term have been reported.