In a public announcement Thursday morning, the leadership of Macau released the results of a Macanese poll, surveying opinions on the future of casinos in the enclave. No question drew more than 217 responses, but the general trend was largely in keeping with the government’s own posture.
Asked about the future of gambling concessions, 61 percent of public respondents favored having six or more concessions, as opposed to the current three-concession/three-subconcession model. “This finding would imply that the subconcessions would be converted to primary concessions,” wrote Deutsche Bank analyst Carlo Santarelli.
The public was evenly divided on the length of concession renewals; 43 percent favored 20 years or more, while another 40 percent preferred shorter terms.
The government’s stated intent of having more in-person oversight of casinos drew lukewarm support: 42 percent were in favor, 37 percent had no opinion on the matter, and 21 percent were opposed. However, City Hall’s desire for more non-gaming investment was almost unanimously backed, with 98 percent of those surveyed in agreement.
Perhaps the one surprise was the rebuff of the government’s explicit desire to have more of a role in the apportion of dividends and distributions. Sixty-one percent were opposed and only 39 percent in favor. City leadership could, however, take comfort in 65 percent agreement with its push for larger local ownership of casinos (currently locals hold a mere 10 percent stake). Thirty-five percent were opposed.
Concluded Santarelli, “In short, we see little of concern in the results of the consultation and believe most key items speak to potential future conditions that are largely akin to prior, or at a minimum, akin to recent consensus thinking.”
