Macau’s new gaming regulator won’t renew 35 junket operator licenses

Macau’s new casino regulatory chief says 35 junket operators won’t have their licenses renewed after failing to submit accounting data.

On Wednesday, Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) chief Paulo Martins Chan told Radio Macau that 35 junkets had failed to submit the required information by the stated deadline.

Plans to increase oversight of the junket business were announced in September and Chan reiterated this goal as one of his top priorities when he assumed the DICJ’s top job on Dec. 1. Chan told Radio Macau that the ultimate goal was to impose stricter benchmarks for determining junket suitability and financial stability, although he offered no timeline for their implementation.

Chan acknowledged that the junket industry “may have some difficulties” adapting to the new rules but said the changes were essential to the DICJ’s goal of “setting up an honest gambling industry.”