Retendering21-22

dec24 NIGHT ECONOMY T he  Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has expressed hope that the three festivals scheduled for this month will help promote the so-called “night economy.” The celebrations, organized by various communities and held in different areas of the city, have received financial support through MGTO’s program aimed at encouraging local associations to undertake diverse tourism activities or projects to boost the local economy. The three events are the 1st Macao Vegetarian Carnival, the Thailand Cultural Festival, and the Luminescent Night at Travessa do Armazém Velho. These festivals promise to showcase Macau’s diverse offerings and vibrant nightlife. Starting today and running until Dec. 10, the first edition of the Vegetarian Carnival will offer five days of vegetarian food along with cultural and artistic performances, cultural lectures, product sales, game stalls, photo opportunities, and a lantern ceremony to commemorate Macau’s handover. The carnival is bei...

xdez23 The gaming concessionaires have been complying with the investment plans and social responsibility commitments stipulated in the contracts, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) said in a reply to a written question put forth by lawmaker Leong Sun Iok, public broadcaster TDM reported. The reply penned by DICJ director Adriano Marques Ho states that gaming companies have been carrying out social responsibility activities specified in the concession contracts in areas such as culture, sports, scientific research, and support for local SMEs. “It has been found that concessionaires are orderly carrying out and implementing various investment plans according to the approved arrangements,” the gaming watchdog stresses. In his written query, Leong Sun Iok noted that under the new gaming law, one of the criteria for concession relates to the social responsibilities to be assumed by the gaming operators, with the respective content clearly defined.  https://www.macaubu...

 nov23 In other words, the government will make a massive sum from concessionaires in the next 10 years: 1,120 billion patacas (US$139 billion) in gaming taxes which is not often talked about, plus the much talked about 130 billion patacas in non-gaming spending commitment, for a combined total of 1.250 trillion patacas (US$152 billion). Let’s put that in numbers: 1,250,000,000,000. That’s 1.83 million patacas for every person in Macao. It’s more than the amount  spent on 1,800 projects  under China’s signature Belt and Road Initiative. It’s bigger than the size of the  entire global food delivery market . As a statistician, I’m used to dealing with large numbers – especially when working in the gaming industry. In Vegas, millions were usually the largest units when it came to describing monthly revenues or visitors. When I came to Macao in 2006, using billions became commonplace, for talking about rolling volumes in VIP gaming, or monthly casino revenues. But the co...