The number of junket promoters in Macau has fallen by almost half this year, according to an official list published by the Gaming Inspection & Coordination Bureau (DICJ).
The city has only licensed 46 operators, down from 85 in 2021. The figures include companies and individual agents.
Some of the biggest names, including Tak Chun and Meg-Star, are on the list, though the former market leader, Suncity Group is not.
Another 29 previously licensed junket operators are currently under evaluation to determine whether they will be authorized to operate.
Macau’s junket sector has been shrinking over the years and the arrest of Suncity Group CEO Alvin Chau in December led to predictions that junkets would not survive.
However, the recently published amendments to the gaming law did not ban junket promoters, but placed more onerous operating restrictions.
They are only able to work with one operator each and they will not be able to run their private VIP rooms as before. Revenue sharing agreements with the operators have also been banned.
