SJM’s Strategic Shift in Macau: Acquisition of L’Arc, Exit from Ponte 16

SJM Holdings Ltd (via its subsidiary SJM Resorts S.A.) has confirmed a binding deal to acquire the gaming rights and assets at Casino L’Arc Macau (“L’Arc”) and to not proceed with acquiring Casino Ponte 16 (“Ponte 16”), signalling a major pivot in its Macau satellite-casino strategy.

In the June 2025 press release, SJM stated that under Macau’s revised gaming law (effective end 2025), all satellite casinos must either be fully owned by a concessionaire or operate under a non-profit-sharing management model. Accordingly, SJM elected to acquire the properties underlying L’Arc and Ponte 16—two of its nine satellite venues—while planning to shutter the other seven. 

With the latest update, SJM has executed the acquisition of L’Arc under a HKD 1.75 billion deal and will absorb it into its core portfolio. Meanwhile it has mutually terminated negotiations or options for Ponte 16, opting instead to redeploy resources elsewhere. 

SJM described L’Arc’s location on the Macau Peninsula—close to major landmarks such as MGM Macau, Wynn Macau and StarWorld Hotel Macau—as a “strategic advantage” for cross-promotional synergies and improved customer flow. 

By exiting Ponte 16, SJM is signalling a narrowing of its focus: the company will now channel gaming capacity and tables into fully-owned flagship resorts (e.g., Grand Lisboa Palace, Grand Lisboa) rather than spread operations across margins-thin third-party satellite properties. Analysts view this as aligning with Macau’s regulator emphasis on streamlining the gaming sector. 

The move is also framed as proactive. SJM pointed out it does not expect the restructuring to have a “material adverse effect” on its operations, taking account of table redeployment and staffing protections.