Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING AUGUST 2018 30 M ACAU’S casino concession and sub-concession contractswillallendinafew years’ time (2020/2022), or be delayed for a maximum of five years by the Macau Chief Executive. The issue of casino policy in 2020 and beyond is therefore increasingly critical as it will determine Macau’s future tourism landscape, with a particular emphasis of getting the new terms into the public setting for greater debate and consensus forming. Professor Glenn McCartney takes a look at the impending Macau casino re-tendering process and why the government’s criteria for issuing licenses will shape the city’s tourism future. The re-tendering process presents a rare window of opportunity for the Macau Government to put policy in place to address the gaps and lessons learnt from the past few decades while providing a visionary document on the Cotai Strip for years to come – and to differentiate and provide the Cotai Strip with a unique standing within the Greater Bay Area. A crucial point is that this will be a casino re-tendering, not a contract renewal. This means that as well as the six current casino COLUMNISTS License to thrill How casino re-tendering will shape Macau’s future Professor Glenn McCartney has been working, consulting and advising government agencies and major casino operators on Macau’s casino and hospitality industry for over 20 years. He increasingly provides insight and analysis to other casino jurisdictions given the lessons of Macau. He is an Associate Professor in Hospitality & Gaming Management at the University of Macau. By Professor Glenn McCartney