Macao’s Gambling Reforms Leave ‘Satellite Casinos’ With Uncertain Future

The announcement on June 16 that the Rio Casino in Macao would close from that day on shocked many locals, with media reports describing it as a change not seen in a generation.

Rio is one of the special administrative region’s oldest “satellite casinos” — which operate under the auspices of one of the city’s few casino license holders, but each is actually run by a third party. But while it has a big name, Rio was far from the only such satellite casino to shutter recently amid a major overhaul of the city’s gambling industry.