Macau’s Casino Casa Real to shut on Nov. 21 as regulatory deadline nears

SJM Resorts will close Casino Casa Real on November 21, marking another early shutdown among Macau’s satellite casinos as operators race to meet a year-end regulatory deadline requiring all third-party-run venues to transition to new management structures or cease operations.

SJM said Casa Real will end operations at 23:59 on Nov. 21, with all gaming tables and slot machines to be redeployed to its other casinos. Customers holding chips, deposits, or cash rebates will be able to redeem them across SJM properties starting Nov. 22.

The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) said all satellite operations at the Casa Real Hotel must halt by Nov. 22, and will send inspectors to oversee compliance on the day of closure.

The casino currently employs 285 people. SJM said local staff directly employed by the company will be reassigned to other properties, while employees hired by Casa Real’s service provider will be invited to apply for vacancies within the group and given priority consideration.

The shutdown comes as Macau winds down its satellite casino model ahead of the new regulatory framework taking effect in 2026. Under rules announced earlier this year, the city’s 11 satellite casinos must be fully absorbed by a concessionaire or stop operating by the end of 2025.

Profit-sharing arrangements between concessionaires and third-party promoters will be replaced by a system under which promoters are paid fixed management fees capped at 15%, and concessionaires take full responsibility for all gaming operations.

Earlier estimates put the satellite segment at about 480 gaming tables, 270 slot machines and 5,600 workers, including roughly 800 staff directly employed by third-party managers.

Several properties have already shut down ahead of the deadline, including SJM’s Grandview, Legend Palace and Emperor Palace, Galaxy’s Waldo, and Melco’s Grand Dragon. Only five satellite casinos remain, with three more - Landmark Casino, Fortune Casino, and Casino Kam Pek Paradise - slated for closure.

SJM has said it is exploring full acquisitions of Ponte 16 Casino and L’Arc Macau to bring them under its direct control.