It’s not all plain sailing in Macau
MACAU – The Venetian, owned by Las Vegas Sands Corp, will launch its new ferry service tomorrow.
The 411-seat, double-deck Cotai Strip CotaiJets will go from the Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal direct to the new terminal in Taipa, bypassing the old ferry terminal on the Macau peninsula
The launch of the new service isn’t popular with everyone, most notably casino king Stanley Ho, who is angry that a ferry operation licence between Taipa and Hong Kong has been granted to a gaming concessionaire.
The new ferry service challenges the dominance of Shun Tak Holdings, Ho’s publicly listed conglomerate, on the Hong Kong-Macau run.
The award, Ho said, goes against a Macau law which limits the activities of gaming concessionaires to the operation of casino games.
“Since shipping is not within the scope of gaming business, granting a ferry operation licence to a gaming concessionaire is in conflict with the law and the rationale behind such law,” he said.
Ho, who turned 86 last Sunday, said the liberalisation of the gaming business had brought about opportunities. “But it has also raised some important issues which will hamper the future development of Macau,” he told the Hong Kong Standard.
Without a legal binding and a transparent normal tender procedure, granting the concession lacks fairness, justice and openness, he said.
Ian Jarrett
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