Lei Wai Nong: Government will adjust this year’s gaming budget

September 9, 2022 Macau Crime & Legal

Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Lei Wai Nong, said Wednesday that he will adjust this year’s gross gaming revenue (GGR) estimate and will propose changes to the Legislative Assembly in the next few months.

The Macau government earlier this year estimated that GGR would reach MOP$130 billion (US$16.1 billion). However, revenue from January to August has reached just MOP$28.9 billion (US$3.58 billion), down 53.4% compared to 2021.

Speaking at an event on Wednesday morning, Lei said, “The government will definitely adjust the revenue from gambling this year as the 44-day pandemic after June 18 has had a great impact on the community, so we will go to the Legislative Assembly to make changes to the budget.”

Lei was also asked how many bids the government has received so far for gaming concessions under the re-tender but did not disclose any information.

“The Gaming Commission will release information to the media when the bidding closes on 14 September,” he said.

Lei pointed out that the average daily number of visitors to Macau has averaged between 15,000 and 17,000 recently, and that the government will resume its traditional fireworks display on 1 October in an effort to attract more mainland visitors.

However, outbreaks have recently increased in mainland China, with more than 1,000 confirmed cases a day spread across different provinces and cities. Lei said the Macau government will closely communicate with the mainland government on the latest situation of the pandemic to ensure Macau remains safe.