The future of satellite casinos depends on concessionaires, Macau CE says
Sam Hou Fai says satellite casino arrangements are not up to the government.
Macau.- Chief executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai has said the future of satellite casinos in Macau depends on Macau’s gaming concessionaires, not the government. During a Q&A session, he rejected calls for government action and said casino operators needed to take responsibility for issues related to satellite casinos, including making contingency plans.
He said: “The new gaming law has very clear and detailed regulations on the handling of satellite satellite casinos.”
Under Macau’s revised gaming law, satellite venues have until December 31, to transition to a management company arrangement, under which they won’t share gaming revenue but will receive a management fee from the concessionaire.
The revised gaming law offers several options. One is for a gaming concessionaire to buy a satellite casino’s property or shares, turning it into a directly managed casino. Alternatively, the original operator could continue to run the casino after a buyout or merger but would need to follow the new management company model. In some cases, satellite casinos may need to close and switch to other types of businesses.
Before the revision of Macau’s gaming law in 2022, there were 18 satellite casinos in the city. Only 11 remain, each operating under licence from one of Macau’s six casino concessionaires but run by third parties on individually owned premises.
Citigroup survey finds premium mass wagers in Macau remain flat
Citigroup’s April survey of Macau casinos observed premium mass wagers of HK$11.1m (US$1.43m), flat year-on-year. Some 611 players were observed, a rise of 8 per cent compared to last April. The average wager per player was down by 6.8 per cent to HK$18,139 (US$2.321).
The survey observed 19 whales (players with bets of HK$100,000 per hand or more), up from 18 last April. The “Player of the Month” was spotted placing a bet of HK1m (US$128.000) at MGM Cotai Supreme Room. The second-highest wager was seen at Galaxy Macau’s Horizon Room placing a bet of HK$500,000 (US$64.000).
Analysts observed that eight players wagered HK$4.1m (US$524.800) or HK$217,000 (US$27.776) per client, up 2 per cent year-on-year. They noted that Macau operators with US-based parent companies accounted for approximately 60 per cent of the total premium mass wagers in this month’s survey. They suggest this means that US president Donald Trump’s tariff announcements have not affected player preferences on an individual operator basis.
