Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, meets the press.
The Government expects its mid-term review of the city’s gaming industry to be completed this year, the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac, said today. The results would be announced to the public by early next year at the latest, once the Government has carefully assessed a preliminary report submitted in September by the Institute for the Study of Commercial Gaming at the University of Macau, he added. Mr Leong gave the news to reporters this afternoon, after he attended the inauguration of the Coordinator of the Supporting Office to the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao), Ms Cristina Morais. The mid-term review is examining what has been achieved by the city’s six gaming concessions since the liberalisation of the gaming industry in 2002. The concessions will expire on dates between 2020 and 2022. In addition, the Secretary said he was considering candidates for the role of director at the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. The current Director, Mr Manuel Joaquim das Neves, is due to retire this month. The Deputy Director, Mr Leong Man Ion, would lead the bureau in the interim period if no replacement is appointed by the time of Mr Neves’ retirement, the Secretary added. The existing sound structure of governance in the public administration would allow to accommodate any changes in a particular bureau’s management without affecting its operations and the quality of its service, the Secretary stressed. Mr Leong said that no other senior officials under his portfolio had asked to leave, but he added that the Government would respect the decision of any public official that wished to leave the public administration. The Secretary also commented on Macau’s Wealth Partaking Scheme. Mr Leong said he was confident there would be adequate funds accumulated during this year to continue the measure in 2016, while noting that the maintenance of favourable economic conditions was one of the major factors to be considered in order to guarantee the scheme’s continuation.