Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) has announced restrictions on the number of junkets and agents that can operate in the city’s casinos for 2024. The limits are in line with Macau’s new Gaming Law, which came into effect in 2023 and introduced changes to the junket industry’s operations. The limits include capping the number of junkets at 50 and agents at 250. Each concessionaire will have varying quotas of junket partners, with Sands China and SJM Resorts allowed the most at 12 each. The total number of licensed junkets has decreased to 36 in 2023 from 46 in 2022.
Key Points:
- Limits on Junkets and Agents:
- The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) in Macau has announced limits on the number of junkets and agents that can operate in the city’s casinos for the year 2024.
- The restrictions are in line with Macau’s new Gaming Law, which took effect on January 1, 2023, and introduced changes to the junket industry’s operations and regulations.
- Caps on Junkets and Agents:
- For 2024, Macau has set a cap of 50 junkets allowed to operate in the city’s casinos.
- Additionally, the number of agents is limited to 250 for the year.
- Allocation of Junket Partners:
- The DICJ has specified the number of junket partners that each concessionaire is permitted to work with.
- Sands China and SJM Resorts have the highest allocation, with 12 junket partners each.
- MGM China and Melco Resorts are allowed eight junket partners each.
- Galaxy Entertainment Group and Wynn Macau Ltd are allocated five junket partners each.
- These allocations bring the total number of allowable junkets to 50.
- Decrease in Licensed Junkets:
- It’s important to note that there has been a decrease in the number of licensed junkets operating in Macau. In 2023, there are 36 licensed junkets, down from 46 in 2022 and significantly fewer than the approximately 100 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
- New Gaming Law Provisions:
- Macau’s new Gaming Law, which came into effect in 2023, introduced various provisions affecting the junket industry. Notably, it stipulates that each licensed junket can only cooperate with a single concessionaire, while concessionaires can work with multiple junket partners.
- The law also prohibits junkets from operating their own VIP rooms within Macau’s casinos and from engaging in revenue-sharing agreements. Instead, they can earn commissions based solely on rolling chip turnover.
Macau’s announcement regarding junket and agent limits for 2024 reflects the regulatory changes introduced by the new Gaming Law, as well as the evolving landscape of the city’s gaming industry.