Macau opens first professional-grade playing card manufacturing facility

BEE Macau has officially inaugurated its playing card manufacturing facility, bringing local production of the Bee casino card brand to Macau for the first time.

The venture combines Belgium-based playing card manufacturer Cartamundi with Asia Pioneer Entertainment Holdings (APE), a Hong Kong-listed supplier of gaming equipment and solutions operating across Asian markets. 

The facility is designed to manufacture casino-grade playing cards for gaming operators in Macau and the wider Asia-Pacific region. Selected Bee decks produced at the site will carry the "Made in Macau" designation.

Its opening follows five years of planning, technology development, testing and pilot production. After completing trial runs and initial deliveries to gaming operators in Asia, BEE Macau moved into full-scale commercial production in May 2026.

Manufacturing at the facility incorporates automation and robotics alongside AI-assisted quality control. Track-and-trace technology and supply chain authentication have also been integrated into production, with a focus on card security and product traceability.

The facility additionally uses sustainable packaging solutions as part of efforts to reduce the environmental impact of its operations. 

For Cartamundi, the Macau operation brings manufacturing closer to casino customers in the region. The Belgian company operates a network of 12 manufacturing facilities globally and has more than 200 years of experience in playing card production.

APE, meanwhile, has operated since 2006 and supplies electronic gaming equipment and table gaming solutions to casinos in Macau and other Asian markets.

BEE Macau will serve both the local casino industry and customers elsewhere in Asia-Pacific, while cards manufactured at the facility are also expected to be distributed to international markets.