Macau government “still studying” online gaming

Macau chief executive Ho Iat Seng has said the government is considering online gaming as a way of diversifying the city’s gaming offerings.

“The previous mid-term review about the gaming industry had already mentioned online gaming, we are still studying about it,” he stated, responding to a question during a press conference on 20 April.

Released in 2016, this review primarily discussed online gaming in the context of illicit operations used by some junket operators, such as “remote control” or proxy gambling.

Zhonglu Zeng, a professor at Macao Polytechnic Institute, contends that although online gaming will not form part of the forthcoming concession renewal process, “the SAR government should start research and discussion about online gaming in the short-term”.

“For example, to what extent could the mainland Chinese government accept online gaming in Macau? What influence could this have on the physical gaming industries in Macau?” he stated.