Macau junkets, once known for VIP rooms, now integrate into casino-run VIP services. They focus on attracting high-rollers within casino-managed areas, adapting to new regulations.
Macau’s gaming junkets, once synonymous with high-roller VIP rooms, are adapting to a drastically changed regulatory landscape by integrating directly into casino-operated VIP services. This new collaboration model sees junkets working within casino-managed gaming areas, focusing on customer acquisition and promotion, according to a leading industry representative.
This information was initially reported by Asia Gaming Brief. The changing dynamics of the junket industry represent a key adaptation within Macau’s evolving gaming landscape, as operators and junkets seek new ways to thrive under stricter regulatory oversight.
U Io Hung, president of the Macau Professional Association of Gaming Promoters, revealed this developing trend in an interview with Hong Kong media outlet Ming Pao. He described a “progressive integration of operations” between junkets and gaming operators within their directly managed VIP rooms.
“The past two months have seen this trend take shape, and we expect it to continue,” U Io Hung stated. “Junkets are becoming increasingly involved in the operations of these directly-managed VIP rooms.”
This shift follows significant changes to Macau’s gaming regulations. Junkets are now limited to partnering with a single gaming concessionaire, prohibited from operating their own VIP rooms, and barred from extending credit to gamblers. This has led to casinos repurposing former junket-run VIP spaces for premium mass gaming or direct VIP segments. Junkets now earn commissions for promotional services, a departure from the previous revenue-sharing model.
While the new model maintains similar manpower allocation, U Io Hung emphasized that it’s proving beneficial for junkets. “This integrated operational model notably boosts business for junkets,” he said.
The new collaborative approach has already been piloted at venues operated by Galaxy Entertainment Group and Melco Resorts & Entertainment, with early results deemed “very positive.” The industry is closely observing the long-term impact of this evolving partnership.
These changes reflect a significant contraction in the junket sector. As of December, Macau had 23 licensed junkets, a slight increase from 18 in early 2024, but a dramatic decline from 36 in 2023 and a stark contrast to the 235 operating in 2013. The Macau government has also capped the number of junkets each of the six gaming operators can partner with at 50 in 2025, maintaining the 2024 limit.
Read related article: What Will Happen to Satellite Casinos of Macau?
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