50% drop in number of Macau junket operators in 2023
The junket sector continues to decline, with the number of licensed operators falling to 18.
Macau.- Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau has reported a 50 per cent reduction in the number of licensed junket operators in 2023. It makes it the 11th consecutive year of decline.
The current list of licensed operators indicates a decrease from 36 in January 2023 to 18. Macau had 235 licensed junket operators in January 2013. The fall can be attributed to the crackdown on junkets.
The leaders of two of Macau’s biggest former junket operators were arrested last year. Alvin Chau Cheok Wa, the former CEO of Suncity (now LET Group Holdings Ltd), was handed an 18-year prison sentence in January, and Levo Chan Weng Lin, the former head of Tak Chun Group, was indicted for organised crime, illicit gaming activities, fraud and money laundering.
Besides this, licensed gaming promoters now face new legal restrictions. Each junket can partner with only one casino and can earn a capped commission on rolling chip turnover, but cannot share the casino’s revenue or operate VIP rooms within the casino.
The Macau government also set a cap on the maximum number of junkets each casino operator can collaborate with in 2024. The regulator’s list shows varying limits, with Sands China and SJM Holdings allowed up to 12 junkets, while MGM China Holdings and Melco Resorts & Entertainment can each work with up to eight.
