What a strange thing for the Finance Secretary to say. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a symposium in Macau yesterday, Francis Tam told the youth of Macau to start thinking about careers other than in the casino industry, because its startling growth of the past decade was soon to become a thing of the past.

Admittedly, he gave no indication of what exactly this means, saying only that the industry will not shrink but will certainly not grow forever at the pace it has been. Perhaps readers can make better sense of his comments than we can. Read the full report online at Macau Daily Times.

One thing we cannot help but speculate on, however, is this: if Tam means Cotai is not going to be built out at the pace its would-be tenants expect, thereby creating tens of thousands of new jobs per year over the next decade, then who does that favor? Why, the incumbents, of course. Especially the one sitting on the most valuable properties right in the heart of the Cotai Strip, the one currently being investigated by the SEC and DOJ. Stay tuned. Copyright and used with permission of IntelMacau