Macau junket cap set at 50 for 2024

Sands China and SJM Holdings have been granted the highest number of partners.

Macau.- Authorities in Macau will allow casino operators to work with a combined maximum of 50 licenced junket companies next year. According to local media reports, Sands China and SJM Holdings will be allowed to partner with up to 12 junkets each.

Behind them are MGM China Holdings and Melco Resorts & Entertainment with eight. Galaxy Entertainment Group and Wynn Macau will be permitted to engage with five junket firms, according to reports.

These caps are part of a new junket law. The junket industry has declined in recent years. Currently, there are only 36 companies registered with the city’s gaming regulator. This stands in stark contrast to the pre-pandemic era when over 100 licenced companies were operational.

The new junket law authorises the government to oversee and regulate the scale of the sector, introducing measures such as capping the commission rate for VIP junkets at 1.25 per cent of rolling chip turnover. Junket operators are now mandated to remit a 5 per cent monthly tax on their commissions, and the law forbids junket operators from sharing casino revenue with the gaming concessionaires they collaborate with.

There is also a cap of 250 agents, colloquially known as collaborators, permitted to operate next year. This is an increase from the current list of seven registered agents. One licence is under review.