Macau maintains cap of 50 junket licenses for 2026 amid sector decline

Macau will maintain its current cap of 50 licensed junket operators in 2026, the city's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) confirmed, as the government seeks to preserve tighter controls over a sector once central to the territory’s casino-driven economy.

The cap was reaffirmed by Secretary for Economy and Finance Tai Kin Ip and published on the regulator’s website. It continues a policy first introduced in 2023, following the enactment of a new gaming law in 2022.

Despite the 50-license ceiling, the number of active junket operators remains well below the limit. As of May 2025, just 29 junkets were operating in Macau, representing 58% of the cap but marking a modest recovery from a low of 18 in early 2024. At its peak in 2014, Macau hosted 235 junket promoters, who then contributed around 60% of total casino revenue.

Junkets historically brought high-roller players to Macau’s casinos, offering travel incentives and extending gambling credit. However, recent reforms have eroded their role. Since January 2023, junkets have been barred from sharing in casino revenue and are limited to a 1.25% commission on rolling turnover. Since August 2024, they are also prohibited from issuing gambling credit, a function now reserved for casino concessionaires under the Legal Regime of Credit Concession.

Each of Macau’s six gaming concessionaires will retain their current junket allocation for 2026. Sands China and SJM Holdings are permitted to work with 12 junkets each, while MGM China and Melco Resorts may partner with up to eight. Galaxy Entertainment and Wynn Macau each hold five junket allocations.

The tighter rules and heightened scrutiny follow high-profile scandals that rocked the industry, including the 2023 conviction of former junket magnate Alvin Chau, who was sentenced to 18 years in prison. That same year, another former junket boss, Ji Xiaobo, was labeled a criminal kingpin by a Chinese court.

While the junket sector continues to shrink, high-stakes gambling remains a key revenue stream. In the second quarter of 2025, VIP baccarat generated MOP 16.33 billion ($2.02 billion) in gross gaming revenue - 26.7% of Macau’s total for the period, according to official data. That figure was up 13% from the previous quarter and 22.7% year-on-year.