The Macao SAR Government has revealed that one of the conditions for renewing the contract of the city’s only licensed sports betting operator, Macau Slot Co Ltd, is that the company must formulate a specific plan to reduce the quota of foreign employees.
The concession granted to Macau Slot expired on 5 June after being renewed for one year in June 2024. However, the government has not yet announced whether it will again renew the company’s concession.
Instead, it released an update on Thursday stating that it had held meetings with Macau Slot regarding the renewal. The government said it had clearly indicated that one of the conditions for renewing the concession with Macau Slot is that the company must prioritize local employment and formulate a specific plan to reduce the quota of foreign workers.
In response, Macau Slot stated that it will “actively cooperate with the relevant policy direction and implement local employment protection as the responsibility and commitment of the enterprise.
“(The company) commits to first reduce the current non-professional foreign worker quota by 35%, totaling approximately 26 positions, by the end of the first quarter of 2026, and then further implement measures to reduce the foreign worker quota in an orderly manner.”
The government further stated that it will continue to review Macau Slot’s implementation of measures to ensure priority employment for local residents and fulfil its social responsibilities, safeguard the healthy development of the local labor market and jointly maintain social stability.
Macau Slot has long been Macau’s monopoly sports betting provider, having been granted a franchise to accept betting on football in 1998 before adding basketball two years later. In 2002, when the Macau SAR Government was handing out concessions to casino operators, Macau Slot became the holder of Macau’s only sports betting concession – a concession it has held until today.
The company’s concession was exclusive until 2021 when it was renewed for three years on a “non-exclusive” basis. However, no other operators have yet made an attempt to enter the local market.
