Macau’s Executive Council, an advisory body that supports the work of the city’s chief executive, announced on Friday the draft of a regulation amendment that would allow a restructuring of the city’s casino regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. The document proposes more than doubling the number of gaming inspectors, from the current 159-post capacity to 324.
This amendment will take effect a day after it is eventually published in Macau’s Official Gazette. That is due to be within the next few weeks.
The proposed rejig includes adding an extra post at deputy-director level at the casino regulator, the latter known as DICJ. This was in order to “reinforce” the coordination of the divisions within the bureau, according to the Executive Council’s Friday statement.
The casino regulator is currently headed by Adriano Marques Ho, whose tenure has been extended by two years, from June 10. The regulatory body’s current sole deputy director is Lio Chi Chong, a former criminal investigator. He took up the post in early February.
The draft document from the Executive Council also mentioned restructuring several departments at the casino regulator.
The gaming regulator would see its overall number of posts be gradually increased from the current 192 to 459, a response to the “huge increase” seen in the city’s gaming venues, the amendment stated.
Such amendment should help the Macau government in “enhancing the strength of regulation” on the gaming industry, said Executive Council spokesperson André Cheong Weng Chon on Friday in a local press briefing. Mr Cheong is also the city’s Secretary for Administration and Justice.
