The director of the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL), Chan Un Tong, has emphasised that authorities are closely monitoring operational changes within satellite casinos, but no labour dispute cases involving employees and operators have been received to date.
In an interview with the city’s leading Chinese-language newspaper, Macao Daily News, Chan urged affected individuals to contact the Labour Affairs Bureau to access tailored career transition training.
The three-year grace period for the current arrangement between gaming concessionaires and satellite casinos is set to expire at the end of this year.
Macau currently operates 30 casinos, including 11 satellite casinos—nine of which are under SJM Holdings Ltd.’s concession, one under Galaxy, and another under Melco.
Read: Ticking clock – What’s next for satellite casinos?
Seven satellite casinos closed in 2022, primarily due to regulatory changes and the lingering impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 11 remaining satellite casinos and their associated hotels employ approximately 13,500 workers, according to estimates by property services firm Savills (Macau) Limited.
With only nine months left before the end of the transition period, satellite casino employees voiced concerns during a February meeting with legislator Lei Long Wong, fearing job losses if their employers shut down operations.
Another lawmaker, José Pereira Coutinho, warned that the impact could ripple out to various businesses surrounding these establishments.
In response to the industry’s ongoing transition, the DSAL director assured that relevant government departments are working together on contingency plans to swiftly support affected workers in securing alternative employment.
In late February, Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fostering a “stable”, “healthy”, and “orderly” gaming industry as the satellite casino transition period nears its end.
A property assessor said last month that some hotel properties may risk losing over 60 per cent of their value due to the closure of satellite casinos.
