SunCity junket confirms Melco Crown VIP deal for previously mass-only Studio City

Macau’s leading junket operator has confirmed that VIP gambling is coming to Melco Crown Entertainment’s Studio City property.

Last month, a top Melco Crown exec let it slip that Studio City was considering ending its self-imposed ban on VIP gambling. The property famously opened last October without any junket-led VIP rooms – the first Macau casino to do so – but Studio City’s performance has so far failed to meet boss Lawrence Ho’s expectations.

On Tuesday, Bloomberg reported that Melco Crown was talking with prominent junkets Suncity Group and Tak Chun Group to launch as many as three VIP rooms at Studio City “as early as this quarter.” On Wednesday, a Suncity spokesperson confirmed to GGRAsia that it would be operating a VIP room at Studio City but declined to offer further details.

In response, Melco Crown issued a statement saying Studio City “retains its mass and premium mass market positioning” but wouldn’t rule out the possibility of adding VIP operations “if we believe that it will result in an improved and more diversified product offering for our customers.”