In Macau and the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau regulator has reportedly sent letters to every one of the city’s six licensed casino operators asking that they temporarily refrain from implementing staff layoffs.

According to a report from Inside Asian Gaming citing an earlier story from the local All In media group, the move from the authority comes after one unnamed junket firm is said to have laid off about 200 workers due to the economic impacts of the recent coronavirus outbreak.

Preservation plea:

The weekend correspondence was reportedly also forwarded to the enclave’s test laboratories and intermediaries alongside its many casino equipment suppliers and distributors. It is said to have requested that firms maintain their current employment levels even as Macau continues to recover from the adverse effects of last month’s 15-day casino shutdown alongside the imposition of stricter coronavirus-related immigration controls.

Reportedly read the letter from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau…

“With the resumption of operations across all industries, the Macau economy will face serious challenges. Maintaining social responsibility is one of the priorities of the Macau government. In this difficult period, companies should make every effort to ensure the employment of employees and maintain a stable labor market.”

Junket reversal:

Inside Asian Gaming reported that the unidentified junket firm is thought to have subsequently re-hired the laid-off employees, which had represented about a quarter of its entire workforce, following pressure from the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. It detailed that the unnamed entity has moreover shuttered its VIP gambling operations inside the Altira Macau, Wynn Macau and Casino Grand Lisboa and is expecting to record a loss for 2020.

Exclusive club:

The six firms that are licensed to operate casinos in Macau encompass Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited, MGM China Holdings Limited, Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited and SJM Holdings Limited as well as the local Sands China Limited and Wynn Macau Limited subordinates of Las Vegas Sands Corporation and Wynn Resorts Limited respectively. These companies are now not expecting business to return to pre-outbreak levels until at least the fourth quarter even though the local government permitted them to re-open their 39 gambling establishments from February 20.