Macau says casino licences not a priority

Heading to a meeting with Beijing, Macau’s Chief Executive said the gaming industry would not be discussed.

Macau.- Before departing for Beijing to meet central government, SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng said gaming will not be on the agenda during talks.

He said his government’s priority is to stabilise the city’s economy, and refused to comment on the delay of the public retender process connected to the expiry of the six existing casino concessions in 2022.

According to Ho, he will comment on the topic once local authorities have completed a comprehensive assessment of the city’s gaming industry.

Ho said: “We will not discuss matters related to the city’s gaming industry. Our focus now is on cooperation regarding epidemic prevention and stabilising the economy.”

Concerns over the delay come after the Macau government mentioned its intention to launch a public retender process for Macau gaming rights linked to the expiry of the existing six concessions in mid-2022.

However, a review of the city’s existing gaming law is required ahead of any public retender process.

Macau’s existing gaming law includes the option of extending current operators’ existing permits beyond June 2022 – up to a maximum of five years. The length of each eventual extension would be decided by an incumbent chief executive.