Fortuna Casino in Zape, one of the city’s remaining three “satellite casinos”, will close for good after midnight on Tuesday next week, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) announced in a statement yesterday.
The government announced in June that in compliance with the three-year transition period stipulated by the new legislation amending the gaming law, all of the city’s then 11 satellite casinos decided to close for good by December 31 this year. Grandview Casino in Taipa, which closed in late July, was the first of them to cease operations.
After Grand Dragon Casino, also in Taipa, closed in September, two satellite casinos in the peninsula, namely Emperor Palace Casino in Nam Van district and Waldo Casino in Zape, ceased operations in late October.
Afterwards, three other satellite casinos closed down permanently at different times last month, namely Legend Palace Casino located in the Macau Fisherman’s Wharf entertainment complex in Nape, Casa Real Casino in Zape, and Ponte 16 Casino located in the Ponte 16 hotel resort in the Inner Harbour district.
Kam Pek Paradise Casino in Zape ceased operations on Monday night.
Consequently, Fortuna Casino will be the ninth to cease operations. After its scheduled closure next week, there will still be two satellite casinos in Macau, namely Landmark Casino located in New Orient Landmark Hotel in Zape, and Le Royal Arc Casino located in L’Arc Hotel in Nape.
While Kam Pek Paradise Casino was housed on the podium levels of an office building (San Kin Yip Commercial Centre on Avenida da Amizade), the other 10 satellite casinos were or are all located in hotels.
The so-called satellite casinos in Macau are formally owned by gaming concessionaires but are actually run and managed by third parties as they are housed on premises that are not owned by the respective gaming concessionaires.
After the three-year transition period, which is scheduled to end on December 31 this year, all satellite casinos must close, unless the respective gaming concessionaire chooses to hire a “management company” to operate the casino. However, such a management company is only allowed to receive a management fee from the respective gaming concessionaire, no longer being permitted to share in the casino’s revenues.
The three respective gaming concessionaires, SJM, Galaxy, and Melco, decided in June to terminate the operations of all 11 satellite casinos before the expiration of the transition period based on their respective commercial decisions, meaning that none of the three gaming concessionaires decided to continue operating these casinos through the hiring of management companies after December 31 this year.
Among the 11 satellite casinos, Waldo Casino was formally owned by Galaxy, while Grand Dragon Casino was owned by Melco, with the other nine by SJM.
Unlike its other satellite casinos, SJM has signed an agreement to acquire the ownership of L’Arc Hotel in order to convert Le Royal Arc Casino into a “directly-operated” casino after its scheduled closure as a satellite casino. After the acquisition gets off the ground, Le Royal Arc Casino will continue operating, but no longer as a third-party managed business but as a casino directly operated by SJM.
Yesterday’s DICJ statement announced that after business negotiations, Fortuna Casino’s third-party operator and SJM decided to terminate the operations of the casino, located in Hotel Fortuna in Zape, after 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday next week, i.e., it will cease operations from Wednesday next week.
The statement pledged that the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, in collaboration with the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), will ensure that SJM fulfils its promise to ensure the employment of those working at Fortuna Casino after its closure.
According to the statement, there are currently 553 employees working at Fortuna Casino.
Meanwhile, SJM noted in a statement yesterday that all gaming tables and slot machines currently operating at Fortuna Casino will be redeployed to other SJM casinos.
The statement also pledged that SJM will provide all local employees working at Fortuna Casino with gaming positions at other SJM casinos, while local employees working at this casino who are employed by its third-party operator “will be invited to apply for related vacancies” offered by SJM where they will be given employment priority.
In 2021, Macau reached its historical peak of 42 casinos. At the end of this month, it will stand at 20 run by the six rival gaming concessionaires.
A woman crosses the road outside Fortuna Casino in Zape last week. – Photo: Tony Wong
