Posted on: January 8, 2024, 10:51h.
Last updated on: January 8, 2024, 11:08h.
Macau casino workers below the nonmanagerial level are set to receive bonuses for their 2023 work and salary increases for 2024.
Five of the six commercial gaming operators have confirmed 2023 bonuses for eligible nonmanagerial staff. Employees at resorts operated by Sands China Limited, Wynn Macau Limited, MGM China Holdings, Galaxy Entertainment, and Melco Resorts have been confirmed for year-end bonuses. Sands and Melco have additionally announced pay increases for the year ahead.
The 2023 bonuses include a month’s salary for eligible employees. The funds will be issued to the employees before the Chinese New Year, which falls on February 10.
Sands’ bonus will be delivered to about 99% of its 26K employees in Macau. Of Galaxy’s 18,600 staffers, about 98% will receive a 2023 bonus. Nearly all (99%) of Melco’s 16K employees will receive bonuses, as will “over 95%” of MGM’s 12K-person workforce.
Sands, Melco Increasing Pay
Sands, in seeking to protect its workforce from being poached by rival operators, additionally announced a salary increase for full-time employees earning up to MOP13,000 (US$1,618) a month. The pay increases will become effective from March 1 and will increase pay by as much as 5.4%.
Melco is also increasing pay by 2.5% from April 1 for the City of Dream’s “nonmanagement colleagues.”
The bonus payout and base salary increase recognize the dedication, loyalty, and hard work of our eligible nonmanagement colleagues,” said Lawrence Ho, the billionaire founder, chair, and CEO of Melco Resorts. “We are thankful for all of our colleagues’ commitment and efforts in maintaining Melco’s service excellence, and for their delivery of the most memorable experiences to our guests.”
The Sands pay increases equate to MOP600 (US$75) a month, or $900 a year.
“Our team members’ resilience and collective spirit have not only guided us through the trials of recent years, but also propelled us into a period of rejuvenation,” commented Wilfred Wong, president and executive director of Sands China.
2023 Comeback
Macau casino operators were encouraged recently by the enclave’s Economy and Finance Secretary Lei Wai Nong to increase employee pay, as able.
“We cannot instruct the casino concessionaires to adjust the salaries … but we’ve been advising them to share the fruits of the economic recovery with their employees,” Lei told the media in November.
Those fruits have to deal with the Macau casino industry’s resurgence last year. After more than three years of dealing with COVID-19 and China President Xi Jinping’s “zero-COVID” policy, Macau returned to more normal life in 2023.
Gross gaming revenue (GGR) last year totaled about $22.7 billion, a 334% jump from 2022, and more than double what the six operators won in 2021.
While 2023 marked the start of the Macau pandemic recovery, the casinos have a ways to go to reach their 2019 levels, when they collectively won more than $36 billion.
Macau’s operating climate has changed drastically in recent years, as VIP junket groups have largely fled. The outflow of junkets came in response to the successful prosecution of Alvin Chau, the billionaire face of the junket industry, who was found guilty and sentenced to 18 years in prison for fraud, illegal gambling, and criminal association.
