Retendering21-22

  Maintaining game pace, ensuring dealer expertise and the availability of “smart” gaming tables are all important elements if the Macau casino market is to see a successful expansion of a baccarat ‘insurance bet’, a product that sparks some interest among players while also boosting house advantage, say several industry experts spoken to by GGRAsia. Guaranteeing dealers had sufficient training to handle the complexity of ‘baccarat insurance’ rules and payouts would be important if the option were to have a chance of gaining popularity, observed the experts. Baccarat insurance bets have been offered recently at the “Supreme” high-limit rooms at MGM Macau and MGM Cotai, according to a Citigroup  January survey  of Macau premium-table bets. GGRAsia approached MGM China Holdings Ltd, operator of the two properties; and the local regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, for comment on the insurance-bet topic, but had not received a reply from either, by the t...

st26 A proposed Chinese law targeting cross-border corruption could have implications for Macau, particularly for companies and individuals operating across mainland China and international markets with illicit assets, political scientist Sonny Lo Shiu Hing said. “The law covers not only corruption but also money laundering in areas external to China, which can be interpreted to include both Hong Kong and Macau,” Lo told the Times. However, Lo said the proposed legislation is unlikely to affect Macau’s role as a tourism and gaming destination or its integration with Hong Kong and other cities in the Greater Bay Area. China’s top legislature has begun reviewing a draft law that would broaden the country’s legal framework for tackling corruption overseas, recovering illicit assets and strengthening corporate compliance. Lo said the legislation would cover Chinese nationals who bribe officials or organizations overseas, while also addressing bribery of mainland officials by foreign indivi...