Macau Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai said Monday that it is up to concessionaires and not the government to determine the viability of satellite casinos beyond this year, insisting all legal information around the end of the three-year transition period is contained in the Gaming Law.
Just days after Melco Resorts Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho said the government should decide, the Chief Executive stated that “the most important thing is for the satellite casino stakeholders, as well as the gaming concessionaires, to handle the matter in accordance with the law.
Sam delivered his 2025 Policy Address at Macau’s Legislative Assembly on Monday which included only a single sentence on the satellite casino issue as he called on concessionaires “to properly co-ordinate and plan measures in accordance with the law for the imminent end of the transition period for satellite casinos.”
However, in a question-and-answer session with reporters afterwards, he responded to questions by insisting satellite casinos were the responsibility of concessionaires.
“I call on gaming concessionaires that own the satellite casino to take up the responsibility and deal with the matter properly in accordance with the law,” he said,
“Satellite casinos are not a new problem. The new Gaming Law of three years ago dealt with satellite casinos in a very detailed and clear manner.
“This is not an arrangement made by the government – the government has not made any arrangement. It is a legal requirement and the most important thing is how the satellite casino stakeholders, the concessionaire itself, handles the matter in accordance with the law.”
On the future of satellite casino staff, Sam acknowledged there were many views in the community and the government would “regulate” the situation in a timely manner.
His comments will do little to shed light on the future of Macau’s 11 satellite casinos after Melco’s Lawrence Ho said over the weekend, “In terms of satellite casinos, I think it’s up to the government to decide. I can’t speak for a lot of people as we only have one satellite casino with only a few tables.”
The three-year grace period granted to the city’s satellite casinos expires at the end of this year, after which time their operators will no longer be allowed to partake in revenue share agreements with their respective concessionaires and will instead have to enter into fee-based management agreements. Some satellite operators have expressed concern that such agreements may not be sufficient to fund their ongoing operations.
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