China wants Macau to provide better oversight of gambling industry

China is expecting Macau to take a larger stance in helping to ensure regulations for the gaming industry are enforced. The director of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macau Special Administrative Region, Fu Ziying, made the assertion this week as Macau delegates to the National People’s Congress met with government officials in Beijing.

Fu is the official liaison between Macau and the central government. His comments came during the Chinese so-called “Two sessions,” annual meetings of the national legislature. The first session involves the National People’s Congress and the second, the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, China’s top political advisory board.

Media reports from both Macau and mainland China state that Fu believes Macau needs to take a more proactive stance in regulating the gaming industry. He added that the city’s government needs to engage more in order to manage economic and financial risks. His comments follow the assertion by casino operators last week that they would help to curb illicit currency exchanges in the city.

The official also expects Macau to take a more serious approach to monitoring trends in gaming activity in the city, as well as in the tracking of external economic conditions that might impact the industry. To ensure that no significant impact to the gaming industry could affect the overall economy of the city, he further asserted that Macau needs to continue working on plans to offer more non-gaming options to attract other tourist segments.