Macau Administrative Regulation No. 55/2022 made

Macau's Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng made Administrative Regulation No. 55/2022 on 21 December 2022, the implementing rules for Law No. 16/2022 on the operating regime for casino gaming¹. The regulation was issued under Article 50(5) of the Basic Law and Article 62(1) and (2) of Law No. 16/2022, and takes effect on the same date as that law¹.

The regulation covers the paperwork and deadlines for three groups: junket operators (博彩中介), collaborators (合作人) and management companies hired by concessionaires. Anyone applying for a junket license must file a commercial registration certificate, a draft junket contract with a concessionaire, proof of a guarantee, a company disclosure form, criminal record certificates and tax clearance, among other documents¹. A junket must submit the signed contract to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) within ten days of signing it¹. Collaborators must file identity documents, a criminal record certificate, a personal disclosure form, a draft cooperation contract and a concessionaire statement accepting their activity in its casino¹.

Renewals run on a fixed annual window. Junkets and collaborators must apply to the DICJ between 1 August and 30 September each year, and must return their old license or permit when collecting the new one¹. A junket whose license is suspended must hand the license back to the DICJ within five days of notice of the suspension decision; a canceled license must be returned within five days of notice, and a revoked collaborator permit within five days of notice¹. Anyone whose license was canceled or permit revoked may only reapply one year after the decision becomes final¹.

The regulation also sets the guarantee rules. Bank guarantees must name the Macau SAR as beneficiary, cover suitability and financial review costs, statutory obligations and fines, and can only be canceled after the DICJ notifies the bank in writing¹. Fees arising from a bank guarantee are borne by the applicant, junket, collaborator or management company¹. The Finance Bureau and the bank may only return a cash guarantee or cancel a bank guarantee after receiving a DICJ certificate confirming cancellation¹. The annual caps on the number of junkets per concessionaire and on collaborators must be set by 31 July each year¹.

What it means for players

The regulation does not change how table games or slots are played, or the rules for ordinary gamblers in Macau. It governs the middle layer between casinos and customers: the junkets that bring high rollers and extend credit, the collaborators who work with them, and the management companies that run casino floors. For players who deal with a junket, the practical effect is that the operator must hold a DICJ license, must be tied to a concessionaire by a filed contract, and must post a guarantee that the government can draw on for unpaid fees, obligations and fines. A junket or collaborator whose license is suspended, canceled or revoked has to surrender its documents within five days, and cannot reapply for a year. Visitors and expats using a junket room can check whether the operator appears on the DICJ's published lists; the regulation requires the DICJ to publish the forms and disclosure templates on its website¹. Nothing in the regulation addresses player disputes, payouts or casino entry rules.

What happens next

The regulation took effect on the date Law No. 16/2022 came into force¹. The DICJ sets the annual caps on junkets per concessionaire and on collaborators by 31 July each year, and the first renewal window for junkets and collaborators runs from 1 August to 30 September¹. The DICJ is to publish the required forms, declarations and disclosure templates on its website¹.