Macau’s last remaining satellite casino, Landmark Casino, officially closed at midnight on Wednesday, marking the complete shutdown of all satellite casinos in Macau and their official transition into the annals of history.
SJM Holdings had announced on 10 December that Landmark would cease operations at 11:59pm on Tuesday 30 December. Prior to this, nine of the 11 satellite casinos that were operational at the start of 2025 had already shut down, while SJM confirmed last week that it had fully acquired one satellite casino – L’Arc.
On Tuesday evening, hundreds of residents and tourists gathered onsite to count down Landmark’s final moments, with many pausing to take photos documenting the occasion. At midnight, the casino officially closed its doors with staff promptly draping red curtain over the signage, symbolizing the cessation of operations.
There was, however, a minor incident occurred during the event when the curtain appeared to malfunction while being pulled up, and staff were initially unable to close it properly. Ultimately, an engineering lift had to be deployed, with technicians assisting to complete the task. A passersby who witnessed the situation even shouted “Reopen!” at the scene, adding a dramatic moment to the atmosphere.
With the closure of Landmark, Macau no longer has any satellite casinos with the remaining 20 casinos all owned by the city’s six gaming concessionaires.
Macau was home to 42 casinos at its peak, but that number has gradually declined since the pandemic. Around the time Macau’s new Gaming Law took effect, satellite casinos began announcing closures one after another, leaving only 11 operating under a three-year transition period.
2025 marked the final year of this transition period. On 9 June, the Macao SAR Government announced that concessionaires would not renew contracts with the management firms of any satellite casinos and must either close them down or assume full ownership. SJM had expressed interest in acquiring both L’Arc and Ponte 16 but ultimately proceeded only with the L’Arc acquisition.
