The Macau government has revealed it will allocate the gaming tables and slot machines located within the city’s satellite casinos back to the concessionaire under which each satellite currently operates.
The significant development was announced by André Cheong Weng Chon, Secretary for Justice and Administration, at a press conference on Monday following confirmation that no satellite casinos will continue to operate beyond this year.
Although Macau law dictates that gaming tables and slots will revert back to the government upon the closure of a casino, Cheong said the government plans to approve and return all respective gaming tables located within satellite casinos to the corresponding concessionaires.
Newly appointed Director of the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), Ng Wai Han, stated that Macau’s 11 satellite venues currently house approximately 480 gaming tables and 270 slot machines.
Both Melco and SJM, the latter of which also announced that it plans to acquire the properties upon which satellite casinos L’Arc and Ponte 16 are located and convert them into “owned” casinos, said Monday that they would move gaming tables and slots from their satellites to their existing casino floors.
Asked about these plans, Cheong said “whether the acquisition will ultimately take place and whether it will be successful are commercial decisions. [However], if SJM successfully acquires them, they will be casinos operated by the concessionaires themselves [and will no longer be] satellite casinos.”
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