Macau’s newest casino opened on Tuesday without a single VIP gaming table, a reflection of both the current state of Macau’s VIP market and the Macau government’s commitment to its gaming table cap.

Melco Crown Entertainment’s movie-themed Studio City resort casino held its star-studded grand opening on Tuesday, featuring appearances by Hollywood luminaries and a performance by singer Mariah Carey. But Studio City also distinguished itself from its competitors by its lack of junket-operated VIP gaming rooms, a scenario that would have been unheard of just a year ago.

As Studio City threw open its doors to the public, Melco Crown CEO Lawrence Ho revealed that the move to designate all of the property’s tables as mass market was “a business decision.” Melco Crown had asked for and expected to receive 400 gaming tables, only to learn just last week that Studio City would receive only 250 tables – 200 upon launch and a further 50 in January 2016.

Ho said that once the final figure was known, it was “a no brainer” for Melco Crown to designate all the tables as mass. Had Melco Crown’s request for 400 tables been granted, “maybe there would have been a very small portion for VIP. But we are where we are.”