Adriano Marques Ho is slated to take office June 10 as the new head of Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, the government agency that oversees the casino industry.
Ho, currently an advisor to Secretary for Security Wong Sio Chak, succeeds Paulo Martins Chan, a former government prosecutor who has served a little over four years as head of the DICJ, as the inspectorate is known by its Portuguese initials. Chan will be returning to the Public Prosecutions Office, according to local news reports.
Ho has a similar background in law enforcement and at one time was in charge of the unit of the Judiciary Police that investigates economic and gaming-related crimes. He also served for several years as head of the local division of the China National Central Bureau of Interpol.
He arrives in the position at a pivotal time for the industry, with the government in the process of soliciting public input on legislation to determine what happens when the territory’s six casino concessions expire in two years.
While it’s widely expected the concessions will be renewed, the official word is that the next award of gaming rights will be based on open public bidding.
