Macau extends casino licences for 6 months to allow legislature to enact new gambling law

March 4, 2022 Macau Crime & Legal

Macau’s gambling regulator will extend the territory’s casino licences for six months until the end of December, according to an announcement on the government’s website.

The government asked Macau’s six casino operators to apply for the extension of their licences, which are due for expiry on June 26, the Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai-nong told local media after a Legislative Assembly Standing Committee meeting on Thursday..

The six licences are held by Wynn Macau, Sands China, MGM China, SJM Holdings, Galaxy Entertainment and Melco Resorts.

“It’s a positive for the industry in general … because at least all the operators can really plan properly,” Wynn Macau’s chairman Allan Zeman said in a phone interview with the Post, adding that the extension was a “prudent” and “smart move” by the government. “It’s better to have certainty than uncertainty.”