Macau, China, Nov. 20, 2025 (Lusa) - Macau gaming concessionaire SJM Resorts announced on Thursday that the Ponte 16 casino-satellite, with more than 1,000 employees, will close on 28 November after the company withdrew from the purchase of the property.
SJM said that Ponte 16 "will officially cease operations at 23:59 [15:59 in Lisbon] on Friday 28 November", becoming the group's fifth “casino-satellite” to close its doors.
In a statement, SJM, founded by gambling tycoon Stanley Ho Hung Sun (1921-2020), emphasised that all local employees directly hired by the company have their jobs assured.
SJM explained that staff with Macau resident status will be "transferred to other casinos of the company to perform gaming-related duties according to operational needs".
Local employees who have not been hired directly by SJM Resorts "are invited to apply for related positions" within the group, "with priority for hiring" and with the same conditions as before.
Also today, Macau's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) said that it will "strictly supervise, on site, the closure procedures" of Ponte 16.
Concerning the casino's 1,025 employees, the DICJ said in a press release that it would maintain communication with the Labour Affairs Bureau to ensure compliance with the guarantees given by SJM, namely "the redeployment of all these workers".
SJM emphasised that "all the tables and gaming machines currently in operation at the site will be transferred to other casinos owned by the company".
Macau, the gambling capital of the world, is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.
The DICJ assigns each of the six concessionaires, MGM, Galaxy, Venetian, Melco, Wynn and SJM, a maximum quota of tables and gaming machines that they can install in the casinos they operate.
On 9 June, the Macau government announced that the gaming concessionaires had announced the end of operations at the 11 “satellite casinos”, where around 5,600 residents worked.
However, SJM revealed plans to acquire the hotels where two are located, Ponte 16 and Royal Arc, and ask the authorities to take over direct management of the spaces.
But today SJM announced that, "following a comprehensive commercial review", it will not be buying Ponte 16 from the hotel-casino's owner, Pier 16 Entertainment Group, which is a partnership between SJM itself and the Success Universe Group company.
"The decision was made after a thorough evaluation of long-term business planning, commercial considerations and prioritisation of resources," reflecting "the company's disciplined approach to capital allocation," said SJM.
The operator ended the third quarter with a debt of 27.3 billion Hong Kong dollars (€3.05 billion), a figure similar to that recorded at the end of March.
On the other hand, today, SJM confirmed the acquisition of the company that owns the hotel where the Royal Arc is located for 1.75 billion Hong Kong dollars (€195.2 million).
The “satellite casinos”, under the control of the concessionaires, are managed by other companies and are a legacy of the Portuguese administration that existed before gambling was liberalised in the territory in 2002.
When the legislation regulating casinos was amended in 2022, the end of 2025 was set as the deadline for these gambling centres to cease operating.
The first casino to close was the Grandview at the end of July, which was under SJM's remit. The Emperor Palace closed its doors at the end of October, while the Legend Palace closed on 12 November. Casa Real will close on Tuesday.
VQ/ADB // ADB.
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