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All Seven Bids for Macao’s Six Gaming Concessions Accepted
Macao’s six gaming operators – and the seventh outside bidder – will be on tenterhooks over the next few weeks as the Gaming Concession Public Tender Committee weighs up their competing tenders which were unsealed last Friday.
Seven companies submitted bids for the granting of up to six gaming concessions before the public tender’s submission deadline on Wednesday last week. The newcomer is GMM Limited, which is linked to Malaysia’s Genting Group.
The six new concessions, which are slated to start operating on 1 January next year, will run for 10 years.
Currently, Macao’s gaming industry comprises three concessions (SJM Resorts Limited, Galaxy Casino Company Limited, and Wynn Resorts (Macau)) and three sub-concessions (MGM Grand Paradise Limited, Venetian Macau Limited, and Melco Resorts (Macau) Limited). The three concessionaires sold one sub-concession each.
Macao’s new gaming industry law, which was promulgated earlier this year, expressly bans the granting of sub-concessions.
The new gaming law stipulates that the government can grant up to six gaming concessions by public and open tender for 10 years, with a possible extension of up to three years in exceptional circumstances.
Macao’s current three gaming concessions and three sub-concessions will expire on 31 December.
The government set up a nine-member committee in July to oversee the gaming concession tender. The committee includes three of Macao’s five policy secretaries: Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong, and Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Elsie Ao Ieong U. The committee is headed by Cheong.
The committee started to unseal the seven bids at 10 am on Friday, when the committee’s members, a representative from the Public Prosecutions Office, and representatives from the seven bidders attended the session.
The committee completed unsealing all seven bids at 6:40 pm the same day.
After examining and reviewing the seven bids, the committee decided to accept all of the current six gaming operators’ respective bids, while the GMM bid has, however, been “conditionally” accepted.
Nevertheless, the committee did not mention what GMM will need to do in order for its bid to be finally accepted.
The Gaming Concession Public Tender Committee will assess the submitted bids in compliance with the respective laws and regulations as well as the requirements listed in the government’s regulation governing its assessments of bids for future gaming concessions. The assessments will also include discussions and consultations with the accepted bidders.
Speaking on Friday morning, Cheong said that the government did not have a timetable as to when it would complete assessing the accepted bids, but he underlined that the government will complete its process to grant the new gaming concessions by the end of this year.
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Eagerly anticipated release now confirmed following a highly successful exclusivity period with Rush Street Interactive
Play’n GO has today announced the official US release of its hit title Colt Lightning Firestorm, following a three-week period of exclusivity with Rush Street Interactive brands BetRivers and SugarHouse.
Colt Lightning Firestorm was released in Europe and other jurisdictions in May 2024, and its release in the US comes with much fanfare following the game’s rave reviews in its short exclusivity period. The game is a sequel to the wildly popular Colt Lightning game which was released early last year, and indications at this stage suggest that this sequel may prove even more successful.
This announcement sees Colt Lightning Firestorm available to players in each state and operator with whom Play’n GO is licensed. Play’n GO first entered the online casino market in the US in 2022, and has reiterated its commitment to becoming active in every regulated market around the world.
Magnus Olsson, Chief Commercial Officer at Play’n GO said: “We’re excited to unveil Colt Lightning Firestorm to the wider online casino gaming community in the US, and have been very pleased to see its strong performance during its exclusivity period with Rush Street Interactive. We had high hopes for the game following the success of its predecessor, and we’re confident that these robust results will continue now that the game is available to an even bigger audience.”
Esports entertainment company BLAST has announced plans to host two popular esports events in Singapore in 2024 and 2025.
BLAST will bring both world-class Counter-Strike and Dota 2 tournaments to the heart of Southeast Asia, marking a major step in Singapore’s emergence as an esports and gaming hub. Supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB), these high-profile events will bring the world’s best esports teams and players from all across the world to compete in Singapore.
BLAST has teamed up with AEG Presents Asia, one of the world’s largest live entertainment entities to bring these events to Singapore. The partnership forms part of BLAST’s ambition to create the best esports experiences by working closely with premier destinations and the biggest and best live entertainment partners.
More than half of global esports views (57%) are estimated to come from the Asia Pacific region, 47% more than any other region in the world with the global market valued at $1.6 billion.
By bringing the top-tier Counter-Strike and Dota 2 tournaments to Singapore, BLAST aims
to attract global esports talent, foster local growth, and elevate Singapore’s status as a destination for world-class esports entertainment.
James Woollard, Director of Market Development at BLAST, said: “We are incredibly excited to bring two of the biggest esports titles to this vibrant destination. Over the coming 18 months, Singapore will become a major hub for esports in Southeast Asia, and with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board, we look forward to delivering unforgettable experiences for fans while helping to build a thriving esports ecosystem in the region. Bringing the first BLAST arena event to Singapore is an exciting first step in this journey. The World Final will see the world’s best Counter-Strike players and teams fighting for a $1,000,000 total prize pool.”
Ms Ong Ling Lee, Executive Director, Sports and Wellness, Singapore Tourism Board, said, “We are excited to host the BLAST Premier World Final and the BLAST Dota Slam in Singapore. The Counter-Strike event marks the first BLAST-branded event in Southeast Asia and the inaugural Counter-Strike tournament series in the region, solidifying Singapore’s position as a world-class esports destination. We are confident that the international participants and their legions of fans will have a memorable experience in Singapore, immersing themselves in the diverse and dynamic offerings of our city.”
The World Final 2024 will take place from 30th October – 3rd November and will be the first BLAST event to take place in Singapore, followed by the BLAST Dota Slam in 2025. The World Final will be the biggest Counter-Strike event to take place in Singapore, where the world’s best eight Counter-Strike teams will compete for a massive prize pool of $1,000,000 and the chance to claim bragging rights as the best team around.
Qualified World Final teams: NAVI, Team Spirit, Team Vitality, FaZe Clan and G2 Esports.
Fans can sign-up for the pre-sale window by registering with BLAST.tv, where they will also receive updates and information on tickets.
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