Macau Reassigns About 1,600 Staff as Satellite Casino Closures Pass Halfway
Macau's Secretary for Economy and Finance, Tai Kin Ip, has given an update on the satellite casino closures, saying the transition for affected staff is moving steadily. Six of Macau's 11 satellite casinos have now shut down, and about 1,600 employees from those properties — including SJM's Grandview, Legend Palace, Casa Real and Emperor Palace, Galaxy's Waldo and Melco's Grand Dragon — have been reassigned to other properties run by their concessionaires.
Five satellite casinos remain open. SJM announced last week it would acquire L'Arc on the peninsula for HK$1.75 billion (US$225 million) while dropping plans to buy Ponte 16, which will close on November 28. The other operating venues are Landmark, Kam Pek Paradise and Fortuna, with Fortuna scheduled to cease operations on December 10. The remaining closures will further affect around 3,200 employees.
Tai said the government has set up dedicated teams and hotlines to help staff navigate the transition, and has so far received 29 consultation cases, none of which required additional government intervention. (GSM, based on Macau government remarks and gaming industry reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 澳门新葡京。 Photo by Rob Young, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
