Update: All six casino operators in Macau have announced additional staff payments in 2021. In a January 20 press release, Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd said it will issue 98% of its workers a “one-off special payment” worth one month’s pay on February 10.

A day later, Sands China Ltd pledged a “discretionary allowance” for 99% of its workforce, amounting to 26,000-strong staff. The company will pay employees one month’s salary equivalent capped at MOP45,000 ($5,644) on February 8.

Acknowledging staff efforts

Four casino operators in Macau have announced that they will be awarding bonuses to certain eligible employees in 2021. Employees’ efforts during a difficult 2020 have not gone unnoticed at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic had a major negative effect on Macau’s casino sector.

SJM Holdings Limited’s Macau unit was the first to unveil its employee bonus package earlier in January. MGM China Holdings Limited, Melco Resorts & Entertainment Limited, and Wynn Macau Limited all announced similar plans on January 18. 

A tough 2020 for casino workers

Melco Resorts & Entertainment and MGM China revealed on Monday their plans to pay eligible non-management workers a bonus that equates to a single month’s salary. MGM China will fork out the sum in two stages, with the first payment coming before the Chinese New Year and the second after the February 12 celebration.

plans to pay eligible non-management workers a bonus that equates to a single month’s salary

In announcing the bonus policy, MGM China executive director and co-chairperson Pansy Ho Chiu-King said 2020 was a year “full of challenges” because of the pandemic. She thanked employees for their loyalty and togetherness.

Melco Resorts & Entertainment is giving eligible non-management workers a single month’s salary bonus, which will be payable in advance of the Chinese New Year. In a statement, Melco Resorts & Entertainment chief executive and chairman Lawrence Ho Yau Lung deemed that the bonus “recognize[s] the hard work, loyalty and dedication of our eligible non-management colleagues.”

Wynn and SJM bonuses

Wynn Macau also outlined on Monday that staff at its Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace casino properties will receive a bonus equaling a single month’s gross salary. The company statement did not provide any payment timeline details.

Of the current workforce of 13,069, 98.5% will be eligible. 70% of the bonus will be in cash form, with the remaining 30% coming through a Wynn Care Macau Pass consumption card.

Sociedade de Jogos de Macau SA is the SJM Holdings unit that looks after the company’s Macau operations. It announced in early January that eligible employees would be receiving “living subsidies” as part of a bonus scheme. Staff who earn a maximum monthly salary of MOP20,000 ($2,512) will get a bonus worth two months’ salary. Those paid more than MOP20,000 each month will get the higher of MOP40,000 ($5,023) or one-and-a-half months’ salary.

The bonus is split into two equal instalments, with the first paid to workers on January 6 and the second payment due in July.