Macau Casino Workers Treated With One-Month Bonuses, as City Sets Visitor Arrivals Record
Posted on: January 11, 2026, 11:18h.
Last updated on: January 11, 2026, 11:18h.
- Five of the six casino operators in Macau have announced annual bonuses
- The one-time payments are for non-executive workers
- Macau enjoyed its best year since the pandemic in 2025
Macau casinos enjoyed a prosperous 2025, and the six gaming companies are sharing the riches with the people who made it all possible.
As is customary in January following strong gaming years, most of Macau’s casino concessions have announced significant bonuses for non-executive workers.
Galaxy Entertainment said its one-month discretionary bonus covers about 97% of the company’s staff, with all positions from senior manager and below eligible. Melco Resorts said its one-month bonus would be paid to all “non-management” employees in Macau and Hong Kong, but did not specify what percentage of its workforce would be entitled to the special payments. MGM China said 97% of its staff in China would be paid a bonus equivalent to the employee’s salary for one month.
Wynn Macau confirmed it’s distributing a “special allowance” equal to one month’s gross salary, with the bonus celebrating the company’s 20th anniversary in the Chinese Special Administrative Region. Wynn said 98% of its 11,552-person workforce qualified for the dividend.
On Sunday, SJM Resorts said it too would issue a one-month bonus to non-executive employees. Sands China is the lone concession not to yet announce a bonus, but is expected to in the coming days.
2025 Recovery
2025 was the best year yet in the COVID-19 aftermath for Macau’s gaming industry, which is the world’s largest casino market. The six casino operators generated gross gaming revenue (GGR) of almost $30.9 billion, more than double the size of the Las Vegas Strip.
The $30.9 billion haul represented a 9.1% increase on 2024 and was 36% higher than 2023, when Macau casino revenue totaled $22.7 billion. 2025 exceeded expectations, as the casinos successfully redirected their focus from the high rollers, who had largely disappeared with the eradication of VIP junket groups, to the premium mass player and the general public.
Premium mass players still bet hundreds of US dollars per baccarat hand, with some wagering four digits per deal. While the true high rollers who bet thousands and tens of thousands of dollars per hand in private junket rooms are generally no more, the casinos say the need to offer fewer perks and comps to premium players has led to them being more profitable.
Record Visitation
The pivot to a wider market was proven with the disclosure of the 2025 visitor arrivals numbers. Macau’s Public Security Police, which handles border entries, reports that more than 40 million visitors made their way into the enclave last year.
The tally, officially 40.06 million, easily broke Macau’s previous best travel year of 39.41 million visitors set in 2019. The 2025 visitor mark represented a 14.7% surge on 2024, when 34.94 million entries were counted.
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