Sands Macao has launched a new dedicated gaming area known as the Pearl Gaming Room at its casino-hotel on Macau’s downtown peninsula.

The enclosed gaming space is located on the ground floor, close to the escalator connecting to the property’s main gaming floor on the first level. A site visit by GGRAsia on Thursday observed the Pearl Gaming Room offering around 30 smart tables with live-dealer baccarat, with minimum bets largely set at either HKD300 (US$38) or HKD500.

According to industry sources, the Pearl Gaming Room opened only recently. GGRAsia has contacted Sands China Ltd, the operator of Sands Macao, for additional details regarding the new facility.

The launch reinforces Sands China’s broader strategy of providing what analysts describe as the most extensive range of baccarat side bets in the Macau market. Available options include pair and tie bets, Lucky 6, Small 6/Big 6, Lucky 7, Small/Big 7, and Super Lucky 7.

Baccarat play in the Pearl Gaming Room is linked to Sands China’s progressive jackpot system, which also applies to live-dealer baccarat tables in Sands Macao’s main gaming area on the first floor. There, minimum bets on Thursday ranged from HKD300 to HKD1,000.

The first-floor gaming space at Sands Macao additionally features a sizeable live multi-game (LMG) section, alongside electronic table games (ETGs) and slot machines.

GGRAsia also visited several other casino properties on the Macau peninsula on Thursday to assess market conditions following the end of the satellite casino era, most of which had been concentrated in the downtown area.

At Grand Lisboa, Wynn Macau, MGM Macau and StarWorld Hotel, minimum bets at main-floor live-table games generally ranged from HKD1,000 to HKD2,000. These venues are operated respectively by SJM Holdings Ltd, Wynn Macau Ltd, MGM China Holdings Ltd and Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd.

All of these properties also offered lower-minimum live baccarat tables, with bets starting at either HKD300 or HKD500 in designated areas. These sections were well populated by players, reflecting betting levels that had been common at now-closed satellite casinos prior to their year-end shutdown.

In its December survey of the Macau gaming market, Citigroup noted that mass-market live baccarat minimum bets had softened since October. The bank suggested this trend may be partly due to increased competition among Macau’s six concessionaires for players who had previously frequented satellite casinos.