The SJM has announced in a statement that the Landmark casino will “officially cease operations at 23:59 [15:59 in Lisbon] on Tuesday, December 30, 2025.”
Three of the six gaming concessionaires operating in Macau – SJM, Galaxy, and Melco – have informed the authorities that, by December 31, they would end the operation of 11 satellite casinos, employing about 5,600 residents, as announced by the local Government in June.
These satellite casinos, under the oversight of these concessionaires, are managed by other companies, a legacy of the Portuguese administration existing before the liberalization of gaming in the territory in 2002.
The legislation regulating casinos was amended in 2022, setting the end of 2025 as the deadline for the cessation of activities at these gaming venues.
Operators could choose to take over the direct management of the casinos, close down, or sign new management contracts but without revenue sharing, as imposed by the new law.
The only one of the 11 satellite casinos expected to remain open is the Royal Arc, as SJM intends to request permission from authorities to take over its direct management.
On November 20, SJM confirmed the acquisition of the company holding Royal Arc for 1.75 billion Hong Kong dollars (195.2 million euros).
Nine of the 11 satellite casinos in Macau have already closed. The last to close, on Tuesday, was the Fortuna, which had over 550 employees.
In today’s statement, SJM emphasized that all locally hired Landmark employees have guaranteed employment.
SJM explained that Macau residents will be “transferred to other company casinos to perform gaming-related functions as per operational needs.”
Local employees not directly hired by SJM Resorts “are invited to apply for related vacancies” within the group, “with priority for hiring” and with the same conditions as before.
Also, today, Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) assured that it will “rigorously supervise, on-site, the shutdown procedures” of the Landmark.
Regarding the 1,169 employees of the casino, the DICJ assured in a press note that it will maintain communication with the Labor Affairs Department to ensure compliance with SJM’s guarantees, particularly “the relocation of all the mentioned workers.”
At the end of August, Portuguese Deputy of Macau José Pereira Coutinho expressed fears of “a new wave of unemployment” in the region, “in the medium or long term,” due to the closure of satellite casinos.
According to official data, Macau’s unemployment rate fell to 1.7% – the lowest since January – between August and October, despite these casino closures.
