Macau legislators bring up doubts over wording, deposits provision in new junket regulations bill

May 6, 2022 Macau Crime & Legal Industry Updates

Macau’s Legislative Assembly (AL), whose standing committee is currently evaluating a new draft bill that will regulate junket operators, sub-agents and “satellite casinos” managing entities, has posited that the wording of the legislation could potentially allow for non-resident junket collaborators, reports Macau Business.

The legislation, which was first unveiled on March 31, is called “Regulations for operating games of chance in casinos.” If passed, it would replace the 2002 administrative regulations that currently govern licensing and activities of gaming promoters -most commonly known as junkets- and turn them into a new law.

The draft of the bill proposes a number of requirements. In order to obtain a license, gaming promotion companies will have to hold a social capital not inferior to MOP10 million (US$1.2 million). Additionally, a majority stake in the company must be held by a Macau resident, and the entity must not hold any gaming-related outstanding debts.

But the legislation also proposes requirements for junket sub-agents. This group, which was scarcely regulated by the previous legislation, consists mainly of people that collaborate with Macau junkets to introduce players, and was not previously licensed by the city’s government.