Gaming | Tax levels not only factor in city competitiveness says Leong

The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lionel Leong, yesterday said gaming tax was not the only element to be considered in determining the competitiveness of Macau’s gaming industry.

Other elements that help enhance the city’s competitiveness internationally included service quality, the variety of services, marketing promotion efforts, the city’s Internet infrastructure, the efforts to create a smart city in terms of information technology and efforts regarding prioritizing the local MICE (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) sector, a statement from the Government Information Bureau (GCS) noted.

Speaking to reporters this afternoon, Leong said the government would analyze the issue of a revision to gaming rights for the city’s current gaming concessionaires and sub-concessionaires.

The government is planning to take into consideration a number of factors when considering these renewals. They included opinions from the community regarding the operators’ efforts to promote non-gaming as well as gaming offerings at integrated resorts – particularly in light of the “Interim Review of Gaming Liberalization for Games of Fortune”, published in May 2016.

Other factors for consideration, said Leong according to the GCS statement, include the levels of either upward or horizontal job mobility granted to casino employees, the operators’ strategies to attract a greater number of international visitors and whether the plans of the operators were in line with the government’s goal of positioning Macau as a world center of tourism and leisure.

The concessions and sub-concessions of the six gaming operators will expire on various dates between 2020 and 2022.

The government is also paying close attention to the development of the gaming industry in neighboring countries, in a bid to adjust in a timely manner the strategy of the city.

Leong said that during the adjustment period of Macau’s gaming industry, the structure of the sector had seen consistent improvement in terms of a growing contribution from the mass-market segment regarding casino revenue.

In addition, the advancement of non-gaming elements at integrated resorts not only helped enhance the employment opportunities of local residents, but also helped diversify the source of visitors, including by attracting a greater number of family visitors.