Reports here and in several Asian news outlets recently, as well as analysis from Daiwa Securities Group have indicated imminent and actual layoffs by certain Macau junket operators. A report in GGRAsia today says that an entity calling itself “Neptune Guangdong Group” has taken out an ad stating that it is not one of those groups.

Junket operators can be seemingly non-transparent but Macau Gaming Watch (MGW) (sponsored by the International Union of Operating Engineers) sorts the ownership and affiliations of this and other groups as well as can be expected.  The website provides links to court documents, mainstream media reports including Reuters, and other citations to authenticate surmised relationships.

Our best research indicates that Lucky Star VIP room at StarWorld will close on July 1, that Hong Kong-listed Neptune Group Limited (HKSE: 0070)  is an umbrella management company for Neptune Guangdong Group and that  Neptune Group Limited has profit participation interests in Lucky Star Entertainment Co Ltd.

Some reports place junket room operation closures in Macau at 50% since December, idling about 3,000 workers.