Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING DECEMBER 2017 10 MACAU’S CHIEF EXECUTIVE, Chui Sai On, says the government plans to place stricter controls on the employment and promotion of foreign workers in Macau’s casinos, including a reduction in “the importation of and the renewal of applications for foreign workers” holding middle and senior management positions. Addressing the Legislative Assembly, Mr Chui said the government will conduct thorough reviews of the ratio of foreign MACAU GOVERNMENT TO CRACK DOWN ON NON-RESIDENT CASINO EMPLOYEES MGM China says it is targeting mid- 2018 for the launch of The Mansion – an exclusive, luxury villa for VIP guests – within its new MGM Cotai integrated resort in Macau. The Mansion, which has proved hugely successful at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, is described by the company as “an enclave of privacy and pleasure,” boasting 18th century Italian-inspired architecture and private butler service. Although MGM Cotai will officially open its doors on 29 January 2018, MGM China will phase in its VIP offerings over the ensuing months, revealing in its 3Q17 earnings call that The Mansion would be one of the services delayed until later in the year. “At the moment, based on the construction program, we’re looking to ramping up the VIP all needs to come together because we’ve got to be up to service that customer at the level we know we want to and make the impression we’re going to create with The Mansion.” MGM to open The Mansion at MGM Cotai in mid-2018 get The Mansion online before the middle of the year,” said MGM China CEO and Executive Director Grant Bowie. “We’re just going to work as quickly as we can. Clearly bringing the junket and The Mansion and to local workers upon the completion of upcoming large-scale casino projects, which include the likes of MGM Cotai and SJM’s Grand Lisboa Palace. It will also ask gaming operators to “state clearly the length of time the operator anticipated that a particular position would continue to be occupied by foreign employees.” Under the new guidelines, operators will be required to provide extensive training to local workers with the intention of promoting them into middle and senior management positions, of which the government wants 85% to be filled by locals. The goal, as outlined in Macau’s Five- Year Development Plan released in 2016, is to gradually replace foreign workers with local workers. To reach that target, the government says it will put greater effort into “perfecting the mechanism” by which foreigners depart the workforce once their contracts expire.