Poker Writer
The Wynn Macau shut down its poker room this week, as poker continues to regress in the ‘Las Vegas of Asia’ despite a seeming increase in poker appetite in China.
The Wynn’s poker room shutdown goes hand in hand with those at MGM Macau and Grand Lisboa Palace, which were both shuttered in the early part of 2025. These closures have greatly reduced the poker market in Macau, leaving only three venues with active poker rooms. The three remaining are the poker rooms at the Venetian Macau, MGM Cotai, and Wynn Palace Cotai.
Poker in Macau Never Recovered From COVID
Poker in China was gaining traction before 2020, with an uptick in tournaments in Macau. But after the COVID pandemic, many poker rooms never recovered, even as tourism returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Large-scale poker tournaments also did not return to Macau until 2024. And even then, the planned WPT Macau event in 2024 never materialized. There was a lot of hype and promotion for entering the Macau market. WPT CEO Adam Pliska promoted the event with excitement:
Macau has long been a sought-after destination for us, wanting to deliver the WPT experience to the region. Thank you to AGAE and Wynn Macau for helping us expand our global footprint. We look forward to an incredible event.
The tournament series was abruptly cancelled in late May, less than a month before it was set to begin in mid-June. The venue it was set to be held in was the Wynn Macau, which has not shut its poker room after a 20-year run.
Macau hosts more local MPT Macau Poker Open series. The 2026 event is set for March 20-29th at MGM Cotai. The MPT brings in players from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and a few international players. The 2025 version of the event drew hundreds for its events.
Growth in Chinese Poker Despite Fewer Spaces
Despite a reduction in poker spaces in Macau, poker revenue actually increased in 2025. The $121 million in revenue from 2025 was a 10% increase from 2024. That shows there is a market for poker in Macau and China more broadly, even as domestic options are becoming limited.
Chinese players are increasingly playing poker in international markets. Chinese nationals appear throughout the results of Asian Poker Tour (APT) events, which have grown in number in the past year. Results from events held in South Korea and the Philippines often show that a majority of players are Chinese. For instance, Chinese players won seven of the 10 events at the most recent APT series in Jeju earlier this month. The exception is for the APT Taiwan events, where Chinese players largely don’t go because of political tensions.
Outside Asia, Chinese players are making more inroads at major international events as well. There have been four Chinese WSOP bracelet winners over the past two years in Vegas. The most notable victory for a Chinese player came in 2024 WSOP Paradise when Yinan Zhou won the Super Main Event for $6 million.
Poker More For the Elite in China
Players who are serious about poker in China can just as easily go to nearby Asian markets as they can to Macau. The number of players traveling abroad to play shows that professional poker remains strong in the world’s second-most populous country.
While the health of professional and high-stakes Chinese poker seems fine, the reduction in domestic events in Macau could signal a decline in recreational interest. Poker may have become more of an elite activity for those with a lot of money or skill, while those who want to play simply for fun are less keen to travel to Macau to do so.
