Macau government approves MGM Cotai table allocations

Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) shows a green light for the issuance of over 100 new-to-market live dealer gaming tables to MGM Cotai, at exact time for the scheduled grand opening of the facility next month.

As per the “The Macau Daily Post” The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong Vai Tac publicised on Wednesday that MGM Cotai will get to its credit 100 new gaming tables this year followed by additional 25 tables the next year. Tac affirmed the moving of 77 tables by MGM China from MGM Macau to the new Cotai property. The DICJ also approved the installation of some 900 slot machines at the Cotai resort.

Though the number of allocated gaming tables was lower than the analysts’ expectations of 150.

According to the International brokerage Union Gaming, the lower table allocation is associated with the MGM’s license expiration in early 2020. However, the advisory firm is optimistic that MGM Cotai will still end up landing the 150 tables after its license expiration situation has been resolved.

Should MGM eventually get 150 tables, Union Gaming analyst Grant Govertsen said that the state regulator still has wiggle room to allocate 482 tables.

Macau’s latest quarterly data show that the former Portuguese enclave’s casino market had 6419 live-dealer tables.

Meanwhile, MGM China has deferred MGM Cotai‘s grand opening to February 13, 2018, just three days before the Chinese New Year holiday period.

In a press statement, MGM said it will not open the doors of MGM Cotai on January 29 as it focuses on the facility’s grand opening next month. The good news for investors is that the overall budget remains unchanged at HKD27 billion (US$ 3.45 billion), according to the casino operator.

This was the second time that MGM postponed the opening of MGM Cotai, which was originally slated to open before Macau’s Golden Week in October.