Inside Asian Gaming

IAG SEP 2022年9月 亞博匯 60 COLUMNISTS were largely confined to the maximization of tax revenue from casino operations. That was why the scale of the proposed investment in new properties, and the experience of the tender respondents in delivering large, casino- oriented developments, were accorded the greatest weight by the then Tender Commission in scoring the offers received. Twenty years on, revenue remains important, the more so since the advent of COVID and the remorseless pursuit of the elimination of the virus from the SAR. As the government has depleted its coffers, it is seemingly intent on migrating at least some of its core functions to the future casino concessionaires, without any offsetting reduction in tax. For their part, the existing operators are running on fumes, increasingly reliant on the optimism of their controlling shareholders and patience of their lenders to see them through to better times. It must be galling for the concessionaires to look at the treatment accorded local airline Air Macau, which in May 2020 had its exclusive concession extended by three years when it was due to expire in November of that year. The ongoing existence of that concession is now a significant constraint on the development of major new markets for Macau’s casinos. In fact, as long ago as 2008, the SAR government announced its intention to not renew the concession and promote liberalization of routes. Given the reason for the extension was largely “to 望可能遠遠超過這些投標人的胃口和能 力。 在2001/2002年，政府的預期很大 程度局限於博彩稅的上限。正因如此， 當時的競投委員會在對收到的報價進行 評分時，尤為重視對新物業擬議的投資 規模以及投標者在大型賭場開發項目上 的營運經驗。 20年過去了，收入仍然很重要，尤 其是自疫情出現及不懈地追求病毒清零 以來更是如此。隨著政府金庫的日漸見 底，其似乎有意將至少部分核心職能轉 移至未來的娛樂場營運商，但並未提供 任何抵銷性減稅。而現有營運商的經營 愈發艱難，越來越依賴於控股股東的樂 觀態度和貸款機構的耐心，以幫助他們 渡過難關。 承批公司一定對澳門本地航空企業 澳門航空所給予的待遇感到惱火。該航 空公司的批給專營權本應於2020年11月 到期，但在當年5月時被延長批給專營 權三年。這一批給專營權的存續為澳門 博企發展主要新市場構成了重大限制。 事實上，早在2008年，特區政府就宣佈 有意不再續期該獨家專營權，推動航線 開放。由於給予該專營權延期的理由是 「因應全球爆發的新型冠狀病毒肺炎疫 情，預期本澳航空運輸業需要較長時間 才能逐漸復蘇，在此期間，須維持本澳 航空運輸業的整體穩定」，那麼人們不 禁要問，為何政府拒絕推遲重新競投程 序及將博彩專營權延長至六個月以上？ 俗話說，情況就是這樣。那麼，如 何設計中標的報價呢？顯然，現正經營