Lawmaker Ron Lam has urged the government to disclose the annual non-gambling investment plans of the city’s six casino operators, stressing the need for transparency over the 130 billion patacas (US$16.2 billion) the operators have collectively committed to spend under their current 10-year contracts.
“These investments … should be viewed as equivalent to public funds,” he said on Monday, according to the Macau Daily Times. Lam described the funds as “vital for stimulating local economic development” and said that the concessionaires’ budget allocations and implementation status updates regarding them should be made public.
He cited the 2025 Macao International Parade, which took place in March, as an example of opaque budgeting and criticised the authorities for refusing to disclose exactly how much of its funding came from the private sector. Organisers for the event were listed as the Cultural Affairs Bureau and all six gaming concessionaires.
Lam also called for the establishment of a government-led platform dedicated to public tendering for the concessionaires, the Times said, with evaluations based on their annual plans.
[See more: Macao lawmakers question pace of non-gaming investments by casino operators]
“This approach would ensure the appropriate use of investments and enable full participation from all sectors of the local community, thereby genuinely promoting the diversified development of Macao’s economy,” Lam argued.
His fellow lawmaker Nick Lei, meanwhile, called for improvements to the neighbourhood revitalisation schemes each concessionaire has committed to. For example, Galaxy is taking control of the Lai Chi Vun Shipyards and MGM of the Barra and A-Ma temple area.
According to the Times, Lei implied that current efforts lack integration with local history and community needs, risking the projects’ long-term sustainability. He also suggested lessons could be learned from similar revitalisation initiatives elsewhere in the region. Lei has submitted a written inquiry about the progress and timeline for reviewing the regeneration of the six historical districts.
The overarching revitalisation project recently underwent a change in oversight, shifting from the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture since its 2023 launch and into the hands of the Office of the Secretary for Economy and Finance.
