Macau reiterates plan to issue new casino licences by year-end

The committee supervising the tender process does not have a specific timeline for when it will conclude its analysis.

Macau.- The Macau government has reiterated its aim to have the results of its casino licence retender ready in time to issue new licences by the end of the year.

Bid submissions for new 10-year concessions closed on Wednesday (September 14). All six of Macau’s current casino operators plus GMM Limited, a company linked to Lim Kok Thay, chairman of Genting Group, submitted bids.

The Open Tender Committee held a ceremony to open the proposals today (September 16), in the presence of officials and legal advisers of the seven bidders. Secretary for Administration and Justice, Andre Cheong Weng Chon said the process of opening bids could take the whole day but that he hoped to know by this evening if all seven bids have been accepted.

He said authorities intended to have the results of the public tender by the end of the year but did not have a fixed timetable.