AL election, closing of satellite casinos, and National Games marked the year

[Photo: Renato Marques]

In 2025, Macau was marked by a series of events that have shaped the present and, in some cases, could influence the future.

At the political level, we cannot leave out the elections to the Eighth Legislative Assembly (AL), held in September this year.

The election was marked not only by the resounding victory of the group supporting the interests of civil servants, retirees, and pensioners, led by José Pereira Coutinho, who retained the two seats won in the previous election and expanded their ranks to three lawmakers.

Pereira Coutinho’s list collected 237.83% more votes than in the 2021 elections.

In the direct election, a total of 175,272 ballots were cast, resulting in 162,232 valid votes, 5,987 blank ballots, and 7,053 invalid votes.

Pereira Coutinho led with 43,367 votes, followed by Song Pek Kei (29,464 votes), representing the Fujianese community, and Ella Lei (27,435 votes), the first elected from the workers’ group.

The direct election had a turnout of 53.35%, the third-lowest ever, with only the 2021 (42.38%) and 2001 (52.34%) elections recording lower participation.

The result fell short of expectations despite this year’s significant efforts by authorities to appeal to voters, aimed at achieving a higher turnout.

Among these efforts were appeals from the Chief Executive and other high-ranking officials, including the AL Electoral Affairs Commission (CAEAL) president, Seng Ioi Man, urging all civil servants to participate in the polls, as well as several initiatives undertaken by the six gaming concessionaires to encourage their workers to vote.

In the latter case, concessionaires offered free shuttle bus transportation for staff members, a three-hour work-free period, and a buffet for those who registered to use the gaming concessionaires’ services.

This cooperation between government authorities and gaming concessionaires also included special arrangements for passenger pickup and drop-off on gaming shuttle buses.

Concurrently, the government arranged free public transport during the day for the general public, including public buses and Light Rapid Transit (LRT), an initiative not seen since the 2005 election, the second election since the Macau handover.

The AL election has seen a significant drop in turnout since 2017, the last year pro-democracy groups were allowed to participate. At the time, the turnout rate was 57.22%.

Earlier, the election was also marked by the exclusion of two candidacy groups, including the one led by former lawmaker Ron Lam, the group seen by the public as closer to general public interests and which had criticized on many occasions the actions of the government, particularly on public tenders and the lack of public consultation on significant projects that affected people’s livelihoods, among others.

Lam’s camp was disallowed to participate in the election under new rules stipulated to ensure that only “patriots” are allowed to “govern Macau.”

Authorities never explained the reason for the ban of the two groups, claiming the decision, made by the Committee for Safeguarding National Security, was a matter of secrecy, but remarked that the groups did not “uphold the Basic Law nor bear allegiance to the Macau Special Administrative Region.”

Satellite casinos’ deadline fulfilled

Despite calls from several groups to reach a different solution, the government upheld the rules, and all satellite casinos closed in 2025.

The venues, owned by different companies and operating under service contracts with gaming concessionaires, were given three years to transition under the new gaming law; otherwise, they had to be acquired by the license holders or close.

Ultimately, only one of these 11 venues (Casino L’Arc) and the hotel where it is located were acquired by SJM to continue operating beyond 2025; the other 10 closed before the December 31 deadline.

The acquisition of L’Arc Hotel’s owner, Arc of Triumph Development Company Limited, was approved by 99.93% of SJM Holdings Ltd. shareholders for HKD1.75 billion.

The closure of the remaining 10 venues has been addressed by many, including lawmakers, economists, market analysts, and scholars, as a potential economic risk due to the number of people who would become jobless with the closures, as well as the perceived impacts on the ZAPE District, where most of these casinos were located.

The government has refuted these views as pessimistic. It has made several efforts to revitalize the area since the closures, to ensure visitors continue to come and spend time and money there.

Despite these assurances, many shop owners do not believe the area and its businesses will suffer significantly from the removal of the casinos, and some shops have already begun to close, with property market analysts also saying that the district could potentially suffer from the sudden increase in supply and lack of demand for commercial spaces.

The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has tested several street markets and activities in the area to attract visitors. It has also extended the recently launched Light Up Macao festival into this district.

The full impact of the closure of satellite casinos will become clearer in 2026.

Co-organization of the 15th National Games

Macau’s co-organization, for the first time, of the National Games of the People’s Republic of China also marks a significant year for regional integration.

Not just because it was the first time Macau was called to the organizing committee and as a host venue, but also because the Central government entrusted the organization of the games, for the first time, to three separate regions: Macau, Hong Kong, and Guangdong Province.

This co-organization of games, which extended throughout November and December (including the National Games for Persons with Disabilities and the Special Olympics), has been widely seen as an opportunity to deepen bonds and cooperation through a practical event hosted by the three regions, with a single common goal and in synchrony, instead of individual efforts contributing separately to a larger purpose.

Macau hosted competitions in five sports, including table tennis (all categories), 3×3 basketball (all categories), 5×5 basketball (men’s under-18 category), volleyball (women’s adult category), and karate (all categories).

The political importance of the event was evident in the presence and heavy involvement of Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai, who headed the Macau delegation and was also involved in planning and ceremonies for the Macau competition zone.

In addition to attending the opening and closing ceremonies, Sam inspected venues, presented medals, and led Macau’s organizing efforts, emphasizing in several speeches the event’s significance for regional cooperation and Macau’s sports development.

The Games were also seen as a major opportunity to promote cooperation within the Greater Bay Area and as a reference point for potentially hosting future large-scale international events, such as the Summer Olympic Games.

In a speech during the policy address, Sam noted that co-organizing the National Games could pave the way for a bid to host the Summer Olympic Games, which he described as an “inspiration for the future” and a step forward in regional cooperation.

Sam’s words echoed those of Thomas Bach, the honorary president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who, during an earlier visit to Hong Kong, said the Greater Bay Area has the ingredients necessary for a successful bid to host the Olympic Games.