Macau's Secretary for Administration and Justice, Cheong Weng Chon, said the land and facilities of the Taipa racecourse will be returned to the Macau SAR free of charge after the horse racing concession contract is terminated on April 1 this year, and that the site will not be used for casino gaming1.
Speaking on the planned reuse of the site, Cheong said the land will go into the SAR's land reserve and the government will study its use as a whole1.
Cheong added that besides the government having no intention of holding a new tender for horse racing operations at the original site, one point in the future use of the land is that no casino will be built there for lucky gambling purposes1.
"未來該土地利用其中一點是不會興建賭場做幸運博彩用途"
The land and facilities, which exceed several hundred thousand square meters, will be handed back to the government free of charge1. Cheong declined to disclose the specific date on which the Macau Jockey Club filed its application1.
On surrounding plots, Cheong said some were divided off years ago and partly built on, including the Macau Roosevelt Hotel and the Star Moon luxury residential project. Those plots were granted and confirmed before the handover, are registered separately from the racecourse land, and are therefore unrelated to this recovery and unaffected1.
What it means for players
Horse racing at the Taipa racecourse ends when the concession is terminated on April 1 this year, and the government has ruled out a new racing tender at the site1. The land will not host casino gaming, so the recovery does not create a new casino venue1. The sources do not state what happens to existing bets, accounts or records held with the Macau Jockey Club, and no arrangements for those have been reported. For background on how racing and betting work across the region, see horse racing and betting in Asia, including bet types and official online betting accounts.
What happens next
The concession contract is terminated on April 1 this year, after which the land and facilities return to the Macau SAR free of charge and enter the land reserve1. The government says it will conduct an overall study and comprehensive consideration of how to use the land1. No timetable for that study or for any decision on the site's future use has been reported.
Sources1 sources
- 收回馬場土地定不搞賭 - 正報新聞, chengpou.com.mo
