MACAU BUSINESS Melco’s Lawrence Ho meets Kazakhstan prime minister to explore tourism cooperation G
aming operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment is exploring opportunities tied to Kazakhstan’s tourism infrastructure buildout, especially in the US$20.6-billion Alatau City plan, after its chairman and chief executive officer, Lawrence Ho Yau Lung, met senior government officials in the Central Asian nation.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov led the meeting with Ho, according to a statement from the Kazakh government issued last Friday. The two sides discussed “prospects for cooperation in developing Kazakhstan’s tourism infrastructure,” as well as ways investors could participate in projects planned for Alatau City, the statement said. Alatau City, in Kazakhstan’s southeastern Almaty region, has been positioned by authorities as a “city of the future”, alongside an international hub intended to strengthen links with other Central Asian states, China and Europe.
Government planning documents outline that Alatau City will span about 88,000 hectares and be divided into four districts: a “Green District” earmarked for tourism and integrated resorts; an industrial and logistics zone; a science-and-education district; and a business and financial centre.
The government’s statement said Ho expressed interest in pursuing joint tourism projects and described Kazakhstan as having “strong potential” for developing its tourism and hospitality industries. Bektenov, in turn, highlighted in the meeting the government’s focus on the Alatau City initiative and pointed to an incoming legal framework aimed at improving investor certainty.
Macau Slot betting concession extended for another year T
he Macau government has extended the lottery concession of the city’s sole sports betting operator, Macau Slot Co Ltd, for another year to 5 June 2027, keeping in place conditions that prioritise local hiring.
The renewal was published in the Gazette on Wednesday and leaves the door open to further extensions should both sides reach agreement.
Local employment requirements were first introduced into Macau Slot’s concession at last year’s renewal. Those terms required the operator to progressively reduce its non-resident headcount and recruit and retain local workers, including a target to cut 35 percent of its non-local, non-skilled workforce by the first quarter of 2026. Latest data from the Labour Affairs Bureau shows Macau Slot employed 50 non-local staff in the fourth quarter of 2025, including 49 in non-skilled roles, down 30.5 percent from 72 a year earlier. The operator had 432 local employees at the end of 2025, up from 426 at end-2024.
Founded in 1989, Macau Slot was granted exclusive rights to offer football betting in 1998 and basketball betting in 2000. It lost its exclusive status in 2021, but no new operators have entered the market. Its concession has been renewed annually since 2024.
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