Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that the final gaming contracts signed with concessionaires will list the number of remaining satellite casinos in Macau.
The new Gaming Law requires all casinos to be located in properties owned by concessionaires, forcing many existing satellite casinos to close down their gaming operations.
In Monday’s Legislative Assembly meeting, a number of legislators expressed concern over the issue of satellite casino employees and questioned whether the government would have a guarantee to assist in the exit arrangements for employees after the closure of satellite casinos.
Responding to questions, Lei, said that satellite casinos should ensure the labor rights of their employees but added the government is yet to confirm how many of those satellites will survive.
“How many satellite casinos will be left in Macau in the future? The government will only announce the number of satellite casinos after signing a contract with the concessionaire,” he said.
“However, the concessionaire has to fulfil its social responsibility and ensure [it looks after] labour rights.”
The government announced on 26 November that the six current concessionaires had been awarded new gaming contracts for the next 10 years, starting from 1 January 2023, and that the government would sign the concession contracts in mid-December, but the contents of these contracts have not yet been announced.
Legislative Member Leong Sun Iok asked Monday for more detail on the investment plans of the concessionaires.
In response, Lei reiterated, “Since we are in the provisional award stage, we cannot give details of the contracts, but the government will announce them in due course.
“The six concessionaires have all met the government’s requirements in terms of employment of local staff, development of foreign markets and development of non-gaming projects. They have also put forward clear investment amounts, implementation plans and programs in their tenders.”
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