Macau's government issued a newly revised legal regime for casino gaming operations on 26 June 2022, the date on which the territory's six existing gaming concessions expired1. The revised framework is titled the Legal System for the Operation of Casino Lucky Games1.
Article 22, item 7 of the revised law requires companies holding gaming rights to set aside each year no more than 2 percent of gross gaming revenue to promote, develop or research cultural, social, economic, educational, scientific, academic and charitable activities1.
"其中第二十二条第七项规定，获得博彩经营权的公司每年需要拨出不超过博彩经营毛收入的2%，用于促进、发展或研究文化、社会、经济、教育、科学、学术及慈善活动"
The revision followed a collapse in gaming revenue during the pandemic years. Macau's gaming revenue in 2020 was MOP 60.32 billion, a fall of 79.4 percent, and 2022 brought a further decline to MOP 46.2 billion for the full year, below the 2020 level1. Gaming had long dominated the economy: from 2010 to 2019 gross gaming revenue accounted for more than 60 percent of GDP, and in 2019 gaming tax made up 80.1 percent of the government's total revenue1. Revenue had overtaken Las Vegas by 2006 to become the world's largest1.
The 2 percent obligation has been cited as the driver behind cultural projects by the six operators. MGM China opened the Poly MGM Museum with Poly Culture on 2 November, showing 184 groups and 228 pieces of cultural relics and art in a first exhibition themed on the Maritime Silk Road; the museum covers nearly 2,000 square meters and is described as the first internationally scaled museum built inside a hotel in Greater China1. Other operators have run district revitalization programs: SJM on the Avenida de Almeida Ribeiro area, Wynn on the Rua da Felicidade pedestrian zone, Melco on Piers 23 and 25 in the Inner Harbour, Galaxy on the Lai Chi Vun shipyard area and its shipbuilding history, and Sands China across five districts including Rua dos Ervanarios and Veng Fai Wai1.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Maximum annual cultural and social contribution | 2 percent of gross gaming revenue1 |
| Macau gaming revenue, 2020 | MOP 603.2 million, down 79.4 percent1 |
| Macau gaming revenue, 2022 | MOP 462 million1 |
| Gaming tax share of government revenue, 2019 | 80.1 percent1 |
What it means for players
The revised law governs the companies that hold Macau's gaming concessions, not the terms on which individuals play. Nothing in the reporting sets out changes to table limits, game rules, entry requirements or the tax players pay on winnings, and no such changes have been reported1. The visible effect for anyone visiting Macau's casinos is on the surrounding estate rather than the floor: the operators are directing part of their revenue into museums, theaters, concerts and district projects, several of which sit inside or beside the casino resorts1. For background on how the territory's gaming market is structured and who may enter its casinos, see Can I Gamble in Macau? and Casinos and Integrated Resorts in Asia: Who Can Enter, What You Can Play and the Rules Inside. The wider legal picture across the region is set out in Gambling Laws in Asia: What Is Legal in 12 Jurisdictions, and the territory's regulatory history in History of Gambling in Macau.
What happens next
The reporting does not state any further steps tied to the 2022 law, and no timetable for reviewing the 2 percent contribution has been reported1.
Sources1 sources
- 澳门的文化发展进入黄金时间-中新网, chinanews.com
