HO DOWNPLAYS GOV’T INVOLVEMENT IN JUNKET OPERATIONS

At a press conference last week, Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng underlined the government’s lack of involvement in the operation of junkets, upon being asked to comment on the recent collapse of junket operators as he arrived home from his duty visit in Beijing.

Ho stated that the junkets are contractually related to gambling license concessionaires. He stressed that the government had never intervened in the relationship between casinos and junkets and had made no request to establish or dismiss VIP gambling rooms. Furthermore, the government has not ordered casinos to facilitate the dissolution of high-roller gambling rooms.

The government has not mandated either the establishment or the dissolution of junkets, he said.

However, he admitted that the existence of junkets is a “problem” in Macau. Consequently, he said that when the gambling law is amended, the government will enforce it rigorously. “It is hoped that [junket operators] will adopt the remuneration system as stipulated by the [relevant] Executive Regulations,” Ho said. “This is a more normal manner [of operation].”

Source: https://macaudailytimes.com.mo/ho-downplays-govt-involvement-in-junket-operations.html