Kwok Chi Chung, president of a junket trade body, has asked for clarity on the government\u2019s proposed changes to the city\u2019s gaming laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Macau.- Concerns continue around the\u00a0revision of the Macau’s gaming laws<\/a>, including the possibility\u00a0of increased oversight of concessionaires and junket operations<\/strong>. Now Kwok Chi Chung, president of the Macau Association of Gaming and Entertainment Promoters, has asked the government for more clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kwok said he has doubts about the proposals regarding the VIP junket segment and said junkets need clarity on what constitutes an illegal deposit<\/strong>. According to the proposal, people convicted of making illegal deposits will face up to five years in prison.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In September,\u00a0Ben Lee, managing partner of iGamiX Management & Consulting<\/strong>, said\u00a0Macau could lose 80 per cent of its premium mass business<\/a>\u00a0due to the proposed changes. He’s opposed to the proposal to\u00a0have elected \u201cdelegates\u201d on Macau\u2019s gaming concessions\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 a move designed to introduce greater checks on the activity of the gaming firms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a\u00a0meeting with Macau\u2019s six casino operators<\/a>,\u00a0Ku Mei Leng, chief-of-office at Macau\u2019s Secretary for Economy and Finance<\/strong>, said that the public authority didn\u2019t have any \u201cpredetermined positions\u201d as it was still collecting opinions from the industry regarding the proposed changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The junket industry in Macau has shrunk over the past eight years. Industry analysts said that travel restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic and China’s criminalisation of the organisation of “overseas gambling” have exacerbated the unfavourable factors that affected the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n In Q3, VIP baccarat<\/a>\u00a0was down 29.9 per cent quarter-on-quarter, representing 32 per cent of total GGR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to analysts,\u00a0the fourth quarter will be the worst of the year<\/a> in Macau, with numbers expected to be down 97 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels after poor results during the\u00a0October Golden Week 2021<\/a>\u00a0due to local Covi-19 cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Authorities in Macau<\/a>\u00a0have rescheduled the public consultation sessions on gaming laws that were cancelled due to the outbreak of\u00a0local Covid-19 cases<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Typhoon Kompasu<\/a>. The\u00a0public sessions will now be held between October 22 to 25\u00a0<\/strong>in morning and evening sessions to comply with social distancing regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMacau gaming law consultation sessions rescheduled<\/h2>\n\n\n\n