For more than 17 years, Ponte 16 was not just another satellite casino on Macau’s Inner Harbour – it was a familiar glow on the waterfront, a place where dealers, croupiers and regulars shared thousands of quiet midnights together. On Friday night, just before 23:59, that glow faded for good as Ponte 16 officially closed its gaming floor, drawing hundreds of locals who gathered outside to watch the end of an era.
The final hours were surprisingly emotional. Patrons took photos under the facade for the last time, while staff in neatly pressed uniforms closed tables one by one. Some longtime employees were seen hugging regular customers; others simply stood back and watched as the casino they had worked in for years fell silent.
Ponte 16’s closure is part of Macau’s broader restructuring of its “satellite” casinos under the city’s new gaming law, which requires all casinos to operate from properties owned by the six concessionaires by the end of 2025. SJM Holdings ultimately decided not to acquire the Ponte 16 property after reassessing its long-term strategy, sealing the casino’s fate even as other sites are absorbed or transformed.
Around 1,000 employees are affected, but Macau’s gaming regulator and the government have emphasized that all local staff will be offered roles elsewhere within the SJM group, with salaries and benefits preserved. The promise softens the economic blow, yet for many workers Friday night still felt like leaving a home rather than changing jobs.
Macau’s satellite casino model nears its end as ...
On the Inner Harbour, the neon sign is now dark, and the old riverfront is a little quieter. In a city that is constantly rebuilding itself around new integrated resorts and fresh mega-projects, the farewell to Ponte 16 is a reminder that Macau’s casino story is also about the places – and people – that quietly disappear.
