Macau’s gaming industry has been losing workers for three consecutive quarters on a year-on-year basis, according to data released on Friday by the city’s Statistics and Census Service.
At the end of September, the city had approximately 68,900 people employed in the gaming industry, a decrease of 3.6 percent year-on-year.
The figure was the lowest since the fourth quarter of 2023, when the tally stood at 67,400 workers.
The number of staff in so-called “betting-related” positions – such as croupiers or cage managers – declined by 6.6 percent year-on-year, standing at 38,800 in the third quarter of 2025. It was also the third consecutive quarter of year-on-year declines.
The reduction in the number of workers in the gaming industry coincides with the closure of several so-called “satellite casinos” across the city.
Under the city’s revamped gaming regulatory framework – which coincides with the current concessions of the six Macau operators – from next year, third-party investors in satellite casinos will only be permitted to earn a “management fee” via a “management company”.
In June this year, casino concessionaires SJM Holdings Ltd, Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, and Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd separately announced that they planned to cease supporting satellite casinos after the end of this year, effectively bringing the satellite-casino model in Macau to an end.
As of June, Macau had 11 operational satellite casinos. Currently, only Casino Casa Real, Casino Landmark, Casino Kam Pek Paradise, Casino Fortuna, Casino Ponte 16, and Casino Le Royal Arc – also known as Casino L’Arc Macau – remain in operation. Casino Casa Real will cease operating at 11:59 p.m. on November 21.
The city’s government estimated in June that 5,600 local residents would be affected by the satellite-casino closures. Of those, 4,800 were directly employed by the three gaming concessionaires that have affixed their licence to satellite businesses, while 800 were employed by the satellite-venue owners. A further 400 imported workers were also employed in satellite operations.
Macau’s concessionaires have been requested by the city’s government to absorb Macau-resident workers they had previously assigned to satellite casinos into their core operations once those satellites cease operating.