Macau opens public tender for casino concessions

Macau's Chief Executive, Ho Iat Seng, opened a public tender for concessions for the operation of games of chance in casino, under Dispatch number 136/2022 published in the Official Gazette on 28 July 2022¹. The dispatch is recorded in the deed of the concession contract between the Macau Special Administrative Region and Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A.¹.

The tender ran through late 2022. Under Dispatch number 205/2022 of 25 November 2022, published in the Official Gazette on 26 November 2022, Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A. was provisionally awarded one concession¹. Under Dispatch number 222/2022 of 16 December 2022, published the same day, the company was to be awarded the concession¹, with the contract to be signed in Macau at the Government headquarters on Rua da Praia Grande¹. ---

The contract authorizes the concessionaire to operate two casinos, "Casino Wynn Macau" and "Casino Wynn Palace"¹. Casinos must be located in property owned by the concessionaire¹. The concession does not cover parimutuel betting, interactive games, games of chance or betting on board ship or aircraft, or operations offered to the public except as provided in Law No. 16/2001¹. Any interest the concessionaire holds in casino operations in other countries or regions requires the prior authorization of the Chief Executive¹.

The contract sets financial and corporate conditions:

• Share capital may not be less than MOP 5,000,000,000 (five billion patacas), and net asset value may not fall below that amount during the term¹.
• The concessionaire must keep its head office in Macau as a limited liability company¹.
• Its managing director must be a permanent resident of Macau and hold at least 15% of share capital¹.
• Loans or similar contracts above MOP 60,000,000 must be reported to the Government, and those above MOP 100,000,000 require authorization from the Secretary for Economy and Finance¹.
• The concessionaire must inform the Government of loans, mortgages, debt declarations or guarantees of MOP 16,000,000 or more¹.
• It must inform the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) when average annual turnover with a third party reaches MOP 500,000,000 or more¹.

The deed also refers to "the following casinos which may revert to the MSAR on 31 December 2022"¹. It states that the concessionaire must maintain a guarantee of MOP 1,000,000,000 from 1 January 2023 until one hundred and eighty days after the contract term expires or the concession is rescinded¹. The contract is exclusively subject to the law of Macau, and the concessionaire waives the right to litigate outside Macau¹.

What it means for players

The tender and the concession that followed set the legal basis for casino operations at Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2032¹. For anyone gambling in Macau, the practical effect is continuity: the two named properties are the venues the concession covers, and the contract requires them to open twenty-four hours, without interruption, every day of the year, unless the Chief Executive authorizes a suspension or a change in hours¹. The concessionaire must keep a minimum variety of games under DICJ instructions and submits an annual list of gaming tables and machines each December¹. The contract does not cover interactive games, so online play is outside this concession¹. The deed does not set player-facing terms such as table limits, game rules or dispute procedures; those are not reported here.

What happens next

The concession term runs from 1 January 2023 to 31 December 2032¹. The deed refers to casinos that may revert to the Macau SAR on 31 December 2022, the day before the new term began¹. No further steps beyond the contract term are set out in the deed.

For background on how Macau's system works, see Can I Gamble in Macau? and History of Gambling in Macau. For how concessions differ from other license types, see Types of Gambling Licenses Explained and Gambling Regulators and Licenses in Asia.