Gaming watchdog sees leadership changes as local employment remains priority

As the government continues to focus on enforcing local employment regulations and tightening employment safeguards within the city’s gaming industry, senior staff at the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) have undergone a reshuffle.

According to the Official Gazette of the Macao SAR Government, three new departmental heads will assume their roles at the DICJ on September 8 under one-year terms. Their appointments, approved on July 10 by Anton Tai, Secretary of Economy and Finance, were published yesterday in the Official Gazette (BO).

Notably, two of the three new appointees have transferred from the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), underscoring the increased focus by the government on labor oversight.

Ieong Hoi Ian, who has served at the DICJ since March 2006 and was head of Inspection Division II since 2021, has been promoted to lead the Investigation Department. In his new role, Ieong will oversee special investigations into concessionaires, their management companies, and junket operators, including verifying their qualifications and regulatory compliance.

The other two new heads, Cheang Im Ha and Choi Kit Wa, both hold law degrees and bring extensive experience from their time at DSAL. Cheang was named head of Inspection Division II, while Choi was appointed head of the Licensing Division.

Cheang has spent 20 years working in various public departments under the Secretary for Transport and Public Works. This includes a six-year tenure at DSAL from 2005 to 2011. Despite being new to the DICJ, her legal background and public service experience are seen as valuable assets for her new role focused on regulatory compliance.

Meanwhile, Choi began her career at DSAL in 2007 and rose to Senior Technical Officer before transferring to the DICJ earlier this year.

These leadership changes at the DICJ follow the February appointment of Deputy Director Lei Seak Chio, who also transferred from DSAL. Like Cheang and Choi, Lei had a long professional history with the DSAL, heading its Department of Occupational Safety and Health for two years.

In recent years, the government has intensified its efforts to boost local employment in the gaming sector. Earlier this year, Macau SLOT, the city’s sole sports betting operator, faced new licensing conditions mandating a higher proportion of local staff.

Since then, Macau SLOT has prioritized local hiring as part of its “corporate responsibility.”

Under the renewal agreement, Macau SLOT committed to reducing quotas for non-resident workers (TNRs), including a 35% cut in unskilled TNR positions – about 26 roles – by the end of the first quarter of next year, with further reductions to follow.

This reshuffling at the DICJ also coincides with the upcoming closure of nine of the city’s 11 satellite casinos by year-end.

Against this backdrop, appointing DSAL personnel to key DICJ positions signals a stronger commitment to enforcing the updated Gaming Law, which requires concessionaires to support the diversification of local industries, ensure labor rights are upheld, provide on-the-job training, promote the professional advancement of local workers, and maintain effective access to welfare systems.

Recent data show that non-resident workers, or TNRs, currently make up about 30% of the gaming workforce.