SJM Holdings Ltd, the casino operator behind the Grand Lisboa Palace casino resort in Macau’s Cotai district, has announced the launch of a foreigner gaming zone in the premium gaming area, “Dragon Pavilion.” The zone was opened on March 30, 2023, with the approval of the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), becoming the only foreigner gaming zone set up by SJM.
The move follows a trend of rival firms in the Macau market launching foreigner-only gambling areas within their properties, including Galaxy Macau, the Venetian Macao, Studio City, City of Dreams, MGM Cotai, and MGM Macau.
Under the updated regulatory framework for Macau gaming, linked to the new 10-year concessions that started on January 1, the city’s chief executive can reduce casino operators’ usual 40 percent tax burden on casino gross gaming revenue (GGR) by up to 5 percentage points in the case of GGR generated by players from “foreign countries,” as a matter of “public interest.”
As Macau aims to wean the industry off its dependence on high-stakes gambling by players from the Chinese mainland, SJM’s new foreigner gaming zone offers a unique opportunity for the company to attract a new demographic of players and support the region’s evolving regulatory framework.
The post SJM Holdings Launches Foreigner Gaming Zone at Grand Lisboa Palace appeared first on iGaming.org.