More than 1,000 workers at Casino Ponte 16 are preparing for redeployment as Macau regulators move to oversee the shutdown of SJM Resorts’ long-running satellite casino next week, part of a sweeping restructuring of the city’s gaming sector.
The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Department (DICJ) said the 1,025 staff affected by the closure will be guaranteed relocation opportunities within SJM Resorts, the casino’s operator, with protections for their salaries, benefits and working conditions.
The gaming operator emphasized that employment protection remains a priority. ‘All local employees employed by SJM Resorts will remain employed and be reassigned to other casinos’, the statement said, adding that non-SJM local staff will be invited to apply for vacancies and receive assistance to ensure ‘a smooth transition’.
Officials said they are coordinating closely with the Labor Affairs Bureau to ensure ‘strict compliance’ with SJM’s commitments and to safeguard job continuity in a city where gaming employment remains crucial.
The closure of Casino Ponte 16, scheduled for 11:59pm on November 28th, comes as Macau enters the final weeks of a three-year transition period requiring all satellite casinos to comply fully with revised gaming laws.
These venues, which operate inside hotels not owned by concessionaires, must either be brought under direct control of the license holders or cease operations by the end of the year.
SJM has opted to shutter Ponte 16 for commercial reasons rather than convert it to a directly managed property.
The operator simultaneously advanced its acquisition of L’Arc Hotel, which it intends to convert into a fully self-operated gaming property, according to a company press release issued on Thursday after trading hours.
The DICJ said it will place inspectors on-site to supervise the shutdown, including the handling of cash and gaming chips, voucher redemptions and the reconciliation and conversion of outstanding chips. Authorities stressed that the process must unfold in an orderly and legally compliant manner.
The transition period, mandated under amendments to Macau’s gaming law, expires on December 31st. Several satellite casinos have already closed or restructured as operators reassess the financial viability of smaller venues in a tighter regulatory environment.
The government also confirmed that SJM intends to apply to operate Casino L’Arc Macau as a directly managed casino—an arrangement permitted under the revised legal framework. The request will undergo a formal legal assessment, the DICJ said.
Macau is reshaping its casino footprint as part of an effort to strengthen regulatory oversight, streamline operations and promote what authorities call the “healthy and orderly development” of the industry.
Regulators say they will continue coordinating with concessionaires in the remaining weeks of the transition to ensure no disruption to the sector.
Following Ponte 16’s exit and the L’Arc acquisition, only three satellite casinos remain under SJM’s license: Casino Landmark, Casino Kam Pek Paradise, and Casino Fortuna.
