Macau—Satellite casinos accelerate "exit", and the gambling industry enters a new phase of restructuring. SJM Resorts recently announced that it will close its Casino Grandview located in Costa on July 30 (this Wednesday), several months ahead of the originally scheduled year-end closure, officially explained as "business adjustment and commercial strategy considerations".
SJM stated in the announcement that the gambling operations of Casino Grandview will exit smoothly, and the existing table resources will be redistributed to other SJM venues for continued operation. For customers who still hold Casino Grandview chips, deposits, or cashback points, the company advises completing the exchange procedures before the closure, or going to Casino Casa Real from July 31 to handle the liquidation.
To protect customer interests, SJM promises to ensure all related rights and interests are properly handled and reminds customers to act quickly to avoid inconvenience.
In terms of personnel arrangements, SJM emphasizes the importance of local employee stability. Currently, Casino Grandview has 159 SJM employees, who will retain their positions and be reassigned to other venues within the group according to operational needs; the 7 employees originally employed independently by Casino Grandview will also be given priority for internal vacancy transfers and transitional support where possible.
The Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) responded that it is working closely with the Macau Labour Affairs Bureau to urge SJM to effectively implement its commitments to employee placement and transfer.
In fact, SJM had already announced in June this year a plan to gradually end the operations of its 9 satellite casinos by the end of the year, with Casino Grandview being one of the first projects to exit. In the future, SJM Group's business focus will shift to self-operated venues, including intended acquisitions such as Ponte 16 and L’Arc.
The early closure of Casino Grandview is not an isolated case. Recently, Melco has confirmed that it will close its satellite casino "Yulong" within the year, and Galaxy Entertainment will also terminate the operating license of its only satellite venue "Hua Du", indicating that the Macau gambling market is entering a phase of desatellization and industry integration.
As satellite casinos continue to exit the stage, the concentration of the Macau gambling industry is continuously increasing, with a pattern dominated by large operators beginning to emerge, and the entire industry is undergoing a deep reshaping.
