The Macau Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed the “Legal Framework for Operating Games of Chance in Casinos”, the law which regulates the rules of operation of gaming junkets, management companies and gaming agents in Macau. The law, informally known as the Macau junket law, will come into force on 1 January 2023.
The new law stipulates that gaming junket and management companies can only provide services to one of Macau’s six casino concessionaires and that junkets, management companies or agents cannot share casino revenues with the concessionaires and cannot receive deposits from other persons, whether such deposits relate to non-gaming or gaming activities.
The law also introduces the offence of “acceptance of an unlawful deposit”, which is punishable by two to five years imprisonment for any gaming junket, management companies or gaming agent.
In the future, the number of gaming junkets that each concessionaire can work with will be determined by the Secretary for Economy and Finance annually and will be published on the DICJ website. The Government will determine the number of gaming junkets by considering the scale of gaming industry development and the overall operating conditions of each concessionaire.
Also, the law stipulates that junket revenue will consist of commissions paid by the concessionaire.
Member José Maria Pereira Coutinho asked in the Legislative Assembly, “In the future, junkets can only work with one concessionaire, which is a big change, so will the Government consult the junkets and work out a fair commission for them so that they can survive?”
The Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, said, “The current junket commission rate is 1.25% [on rolling turnover] and the Government is open to any change in this commission rate. The Government will listen to comments from the industry and hopes that the gaming junket industry can develop healthily and normally.”
