Macao chief executive (CE) Sam Hou Fai has said that his government will be keeping a close tab on gaming concessionaires to ensure that they fulfil their duties by allocating positions for the roughly 5,600 local workers impacted by the imminent closure of multiple satellite casinos.
Earlier this month, casino operators SJM, Galaxy and Melco announced that they would shut down 11 of their third-party gaming venues by the end of the year and would “properly settle” the affected employees at the government’s request.
At an event yesterday, Sam told multiple media outlets that the concessionaires had pledged to “fully receive and allocate their 4,800 [casino] employees.” As for the other 800 workers directly hired by the satellite casinos’ operating entities, the CE noted that in accordance with Macao’s labour law, “the employer who hires them should be responsible.”
According to Sam, the Labour Affairs Bureau would be following up on these 800 cases, with the gaming concessionaires providing support to the satellite casino operators, should they need help in finding positions for these remaining workers.
Regarding the shuttering of the 11 satellite properties, Macao’s leader pointed out that it was not expected to have a significant impact on Macao’s gross domestic product (GDP), as the gross gaming revenue (GGR) generated by these casinos was not substantial.
[See more: Satellite casinos in Macao: what their closure means for the future]
However, businesses surrounding the satellite casinos are forecast to experience a downturn. In an interview with TDM, store owners in the ZAPE district, where many of the satellite casinos are located, said they expected their sales to plummet after the casinos’ closure.
“I think our business will drop by at least 50 percent, as [gamblers] are our main source of customers,” said a dried seafood store owner identified by the surname Wu. “They come from the casino next door.”
Meanwhile, a telecommunications shop owner in the area with the surname Tam noted that he may have to reduce his staff by a third, as his sales are forecasted to plummet by as much as 70 percent.
In order to assist businesses in the ZAPE district with the transition, Sam stated that the secretary for economy and finance, Tai Kin Ip, had been holding discussions with business representatives from the area to study policy measures and ways to tackle the issue.
Sam stressed that his government was committed to providing full support to improve the business environment in the ZAPE district. He expressed hopes that the local business sector would gather and share their opinions with the government concerning transport facilities, the neighbourhood’s economy and the establishment of a link between ZAPE and Macao’s historic district.
