SatellitecasinosatPonte16andKamPaktocontinueoperationtillD

Success Universe Group, owner of Macau’s Ponte 16 casino hotel, has agreed with SJM Holdings to extend the provision of gaming services at the property until the end of this year, according to foreign media reports.

Casino games maker Paradise Entertainment has also announced that it had agreed with SJM Holdings to extend the provisioning of gaming services at Casino Kam Pek until the end of this year.

At present there are 18 so-called “satellite” casinos in Macau, which are venues controlled by independent investors but use the gaming licence of an existing casino concessionaire. Of these venues, 14 are using SJM Holdings’ gaming licence; three using Galaxy Entertainment Group’s gaming licence, and the remaining one using Melco Resorts and Entertainment’s.

As the Macau government is revising its gaming law and the current casino concessions are expiring in June, many operators of these satellite casinos have expressed concerns about their future.

The Grand Emperor Hotel, a satellite casino under the gaming licence of SJM Holdings, announced last week that it was to cease gaming operations on June 26, citing causes including the “gloomy outlook of the high-end gaming segment” and “tough business operating environment arising from the Covid-19 pandemic”.

It remains unclear how many satellite venues are going to follow in the footsteps of Grand Emperor Hotel.