According to data from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), there are now 31 licensed junket operators in Macau – one more than the figure announced in August last year.
However, an industry source told Inside Asian Gaming that only around 20 are actually in operation.
Even at 31, the total number of licensed junkets remains almost 40% below the government’s cap of 50 for this year, suggesting that while the sector may be showing signs of recovery, overall expansion is still limited.
Under Macau’s new junket laws passed in 2022, a junket may cooperate with only one of Macau’s six concessionaires and is not allowed to share casino gaming revenue. Its income can therefore only come from commissions paid by the concessionaires, capped at no more than 1.25% of the rolling amount.
In terms of market entry and risk control, the law also sets requirements for capital and guarantees: the guarantee amounts are MOP$1.5 million for a junket, MOP$500 million for an agent and MOP$1.5 million for a management company. A junket is also required to have a registered capital of MOP$10 million.
Junket representative U Io Hung said, “There are only a little over 20 active companies now, and some are registered but not really operating.”
He added that competition has become harder because concessionaires now run their own “company-run VIP rooms,” stating, “we can’t compete with them, so the resources we get are limited.
“There is still business to do, but profits aren’t high, so not many people will enter the market.”
U noted that “junket representatives have to pay a 5% tax, so naturally we can’t compete,” while explaining that busy holiday periods can be even more challenging under the current rules.
“During festivals it gets tight. Priority is given to the company-run VIP rooms first and there aren’t enough hotel rooms either,” which further squeezes the operating space of junkets.
