Content Writer: Janice Chew • Wednesday, 25/11/2025 - 22:20:45 - PM
The Macau-based operator Melco Resorts announced that its slot-club venue, Mocha Grand Dragon Hotel, will officially cease operations at 11 : 59 PM on Monday, 24 November 2025. This step comes as part of Melco’s previously disclosed plan to wind down certain satellite and slot-club venues by year-end, in light of regulatory changes and strategic repositioning.
Melco clarified that the closure affects the venue’s entire slot-machine operations: all electronic gaming machines currently deployed at Mocha Grand Dragon will be re-allocated to other Melco resorts in Macau, as approved by the gaming regulator Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ). The firm emphasised that “all customers’ rights are safeguarded”: patrons may continue to use existing ticket-in-ticket-out (TITO) vouchers or gaming slip credits at other Mocha venues or Melco-run casinos.
In parallel, Melco noted that its 44 employees at Mocha Grand Dragon are covered under its relocation and reassignment plan, which it must implement in coordination with the Macau Labour Affairs Bureau. The regulator said it will closely monitor the shutdown process to ensure proper settlement of staff remuneration, benefits and working conditions. The closure is also aligned with Macau’s broader policy requiring satellite-casino operators to transition away from non-owner-operated venues by 31 December 2025.
For industry observers, the move signals the consolidation of Melco’s non-premium gaming footprint in Macau and the company’s focus on its main integrated resorts. As the three-year “grace period” under the satellite-casino regulation ends, operators such as Melco are stepping down venues that do not fit the new ownership/management fee model. The shutdown of Mocha Grand Dragon thus exemplifies how regulatory reform is reshaping Macau’s gaming landscape, with implications for company cost-structures and asset-deployment strategies.