Key Moments:
- Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd has confirmed it will close Grand Dragon Casino and Mocha Kuong Fat in September 2025.
- Gaming assets from closing venues will be reallocated to City of Dreams, Altira Macau, and Studio City, as approved by regulators.
- All affected employees will be transferred to other Melco Macau operations to maintain their employment.
Details of Venue Closures
Melco Resorts & Entertainment Ltd announced that it will close Grand Dragon Casino in Taipa at 23:59 on September 22, 2025. Additionally, Mocha Kuong Fat, which operates as a downtown slot parlor under the Mocha Clubs brand, will close at 23:59 on September 24, 2025. The closure dates for Mocha Grand Dragon Hotel and Mocha Royal Hotel—both located on the Macau peninsula—will be disclosed at a later time. These steps stem from what Melco describes as a “review of Melco Resorts (Macau) Ltd’s overall strategic development.” In June, Macau’s government signaled these closures, and it has now formally approved them.
$MLCO Melco Resorts to cease operations at three Mocha Clubs, Grand Dragon Casino
Melco Resorts announced that, after considering the company's overall development strategy and in accordance with Macau law, Grand Dragon Casino and three Mocha Clubs, namely Mocha Hotel Royal,…
— DonCorleone77 (@CorleoneDon77) June 9, 2025
Asset Reallocation Strategy
Following the shutdowns, Melco will transfer all gaming tables from Grand Dragon Casino to its City of Dreams resort in Cotai. Melco will redistribute the electronic gaming machines from the closing Mocha Clubs venues to Altira Macau, City of Dreams, and Studio City. The DICJ approved the redistribution and pledged to supervise the closure closely. In doing so, it will ensure compliance with local laws. This oversight includes the management of gaming chips, jackpots, unused cash coupons, and ticket-in-ticket-out (TITO) vouchers, safeguarding customer interests.
Customer and Employee Protections
Melco has affirmed that customer rights will be fully protected throughout the transition. After the Grand Dragon Casino closure, players will be able to redeem any remaining chips at the Melco Club/Signature Club desk at Altira Macau beginning September 23. Patrons of Mocha Kuong Fat will continue to have access to their gaming slips and TITO vouchers at other continuing Mocha locations, including Mocha Inner Harbor, Mocha Golden Dragon, and Mocha Sintra Hotel.
Melco confirmed that it will reassign all 176 Grand Dragon Casino employees and 36 Mocha Kuong Fat staff to other Macau operations. This move secures their continued employment. Moreover, the DICJ works closely with the Labour Affairs Bureau to ensure Melco meets all of its employment obligations.
Industry Developments and Regulatory Context
August saw Macau’s initial satellite casino closure with the end of operations at Casino Grandview in Taipa, originally operated under a license from Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM). The casino closed its doors on July 30, 2025, as part of SJM’s larger initiative to wind down seven out of nine satellite casinos by year-end 2025, keeping only Casino Ponte 16 and Casino L’Arc Macau. Authorities acknowledged that this closure represented “orderly progress” within regulatory guidelines.
These latest developments come after Macau revised its gaming laws in 2022. Under the new rules, satellite casinos must be directly owned by the licensed operator or operate under non-profit-sharing arrangements. The deadline for compliance is December 31, 2025. This has prompted moves by several operators, including Melco Resorts, Galaxy Entertainment, and SJM Holdings, to announce multiple satellite casino closures by the end of the year.
Labor Market and Economic Impact
During the March to May period, Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) data showed that the shutdown of satellite casinos has produced no measurable new effect on local employment, indicating labor market stability as the gaming sector continues restructuring. The general and local employment rates stood at 1.9 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, mirroring values from prior rolling periods and the equivalent span in the previous year. In June, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai stated via local media that these closures would not significantly affect Macau’s gross domestic product (GDP), emphasizing the responsibility of the city’s concessionaires.
Timeline of Key Closures
| Venue | Closure Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Grand Dragon Casino | September 22, 2025 (23:59) | Full closure, gaming tables moved to City of Dreams |
| Mocha Kuong Fat | September 24, 2025 (23:59) | Closure, machines redistributed across Melco properties |
| Mocha Grand Dragon Hotel & Mocha Royal Hotel | TBD | Closure dates to be announced |
| Casino Grandview | July 30, 2025 | SJM-operated; part of broader satellite casino wind-down |
- Author
Daniel Williams
