Macau Satellite Casinos Expected to Remain Operational

Macau satellite casinos have come under a lot of fire, but there is no particular reason for concern argues Macau chief executive Ho Iat Seng who is confident that business will continue as usual for the most part. Ho Iat Seng expects that satellite casinos will not entirely cease operations and that, in fact, many will continue to carry on. He was quoted by GCS, a local media outlet, which has been following the issue.

Macau Satellite Casinos Are Not Out of the Question

According to the executive, Macau’s major satellite casinos should remain operational, albeit he came short of naming which venues those are. In the meantime, numerous companies have been beginning to wrap up satellite casinos as they would no longer need them it seems. 

The GCS report explained that the companies that would not be able to carry on as satellite casinos are those that have their contract terminated by a gaming concessionaire or sub-concessionaire. All the rest should find it fairly simple to carry on. Ho Iat Seng feels confident that only a handful of satellite casinos would end up closing in the end, as Macau wants to ensure that unemployment remains low.

According to the chief executive, none of the laws that are currently being forged in Macau are done to unsettle or roll back any of the progress achieved by the gambling industry. Rather, any new law is passed with the idea of clarifying an already obsolete gambling framework that needs to be updated to current trends in the industry.

For example, he explained that while satellite casinos do have contractual relationships, they are hardly inscribed into the gambling framework itself – something that will be changing moving forward. The laws are also needed because of the evolving geopolitical situation. Ho Ian Seng acknowledged the struggles of local gaming concessionaires who have been struggling to attract tourists due to closed borders and flare-ups of COVID-19 infections in Mainland China.

Footfall to Return to Macau’s Gaming and Shopping Centers

However, the executive chose to remain optimistic about the future. He shared the concerns of businesses and citizens but said that the next months should be marked by an increase in footfall in shopping and gaming businesses and facilities.

Macau is proposing to reduce the quarantine period people need to undergo to seven days after arrival, for example, or completely remove the need for quarantine for international travels. This last point is proving a contentious one as it would require approval from Beijing which is firmly against any COVID-19 cases to begin with,