The Chinese government is about to crack down on Macau’s junket operators, it has been claimed.
The operation will involve police operations in more than six big mainland cities as part of an anti-corruption campaign led by Xi Jinping, the country’s President-in-waiting.
“The squeeze has already started on a small scale, but the operators themselves believe that something bigger is coming within the next few weeks,” an unidentified Macau gaming industry source told The Times newspaper.
This goes against what has been said by officials of the central government liaison office in Macau. In December, Bai Zhijian, director of the liaison office, said that anti-corruption measures in the mainland should not be regarded as measures to control the casino industry in Macau.
“Measures against corruption and casinos are not the same matter,” Bai Zhijian said at the time. “Every place across the globe is talking about anti-corruption and there are casinos everywhere. These are two different matters.”
