New details of the amendment to the Gaming Law were disclosed at the Macau Legislative Assembly (AL) meeting on Tuesday 17 May, including a proposal that should any concessionaire be suspended from operating for one month to one year due to non-compliance, the dismissal of an employee is to be treated as dismissal without cause.
Chairman of the Second Standing Committee of the AL, Chan Chak Mo, revealed at a press conference that the government had added provisions to the new law, including the rule around employee dismissal.
The bill also provides that the Chief Executive may unilaterally terminate the contract of a concessionaire without any compensation under certain circumstances, such as endangering the security of the state or the Macau SAR. In determining whether the contract of the concessionaires should be terminated without any compensation, the government shall consider the seriousness, the extent of the violation, the unlawful benefit obtained or other circumstances
The gaming law includes a new provision that if the Chief Executive unilaterally terminates the contract of a concessionaire in the public interest, the law gives the concessionaires the right to receive reasonable compensation – to be calculated with the time remaining on their contract and investment made in mind.
Chan also provided an update to details released after Monday’s AL meeting, at which it was stated that the total maximum number of gaming tables and slot machines that may be operated by “each concessionaire” would be announced by the Chief Executive. At Tuesday’s meeting, Chan cited government sources to clarify there had been a misunderstanding and that the Chief Executive will set the maximum number of gambling tables and slot machines for all licensed companies in Macau, not each one.
The Second Standing Committee of the Legislative Council is now striving to complete the discussion of the Gaming Law by 10 June.
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