反腐致博彩業萎縮 澳門思轉型
The Macao Special Administrative Region is standing at a critical juncture in transforming from a gaming hub into a world-leading tourism and leisure center with a diversified economy, a senior Macao official said at a meeting with deputies to the National People's Congress on Thursday.
3月5日（週四），一位澳門特別行政區高官在全國人大澳門代表團會議上說，澳門正處於從賭博集散地轉型爲經濟多樣化的世界頂級旅遊休閒中心的關鍵時刻。
It is a major test for the SAR government to act proactively before the gambling industry hits an inflection point, and Macao must chart a careful course at this critical time, said Li Gang, director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Macao at a meeting with Macao NPC deputies.
中央人民政府駐澳門聯絡辦公室主任李剛在澳門特區人大代表團會議上表示，能否在博彩業到達拐點前先發制人，是對澳門特區政府的一大考驗，澳門必須在這一關鍵時刻慎重規劃。
"A midterm review of the current development of the gaming industry scheduled this year is expected to build consensus among society on how to meet the challenge," Li said.
李剛稱，今年，澳門計劃對博彩業目前發展狀況做一次中期審查，並在全社會達成共識如何迎接挑戰。
The latest data from the SAR's Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau shows that Macao's gross gaming revenue dropped 48.6 percent in February to 19.5 billion patacas ($2.45 billion), its steepest ever year-on-year decline.
澳門博彩監察協調局的最新數據顯示，澳門博彩業總收入2月下降了48.6%，跌至195億澳元（24.5億美元），同比降幅創歷史最高。
Li said he believes that the downward pressure on the mainland economy has resulted in a significant decline of customers to VIP rooms, which is the major cause of the recent sluggish revenue for gaming houses. The crackdown on corruption is just part of the problem, Li said.
李剛稱，他認爲大陸經濟下行壓力導致賭場貴賓廳的玩家人數大量減少，這是最近賭場收入下滑的主要原因。反腐倡廉也是原因之一。
"We noticed that some of the casinos are not performing their promises to diversify their business and provide more services for retailing, conferencing and exhibitions," Li said.
李剛稱已經注意到，部分賭場並沒有實現業務多樣化的承諾，也並未提供零售、會議展覽等多元服務。
The review is not about reissuing the existing gambling licenses, due in 2020, said Lionel Leong Vai Tac, Macao's secretary for economy and finance.
澳門經濟與金融部長樑維特（Lionel Leong Vai Tac）指出，現有賭場的牌照將於2020年到期，但本次審查與此無關。
"The gaming companies control the most resources in Macao. We should take full advantage of this review to change the wait-and-see stance the industry takes. And we believe it's reasonable to grow nongaming industries with the help of gambling houses, " Leung said.
樑維特說：“博彩公司控制着澳門的多數資源。我們應充分利用這次審查來改變這一行業守株待兔的狀態。並且，我們認爲藉助於賭場來發展非賭博性產業也是合理的。”
To avoid derailing Macao's phenomenal growth－its per capita GDP now ranks fourth in the world－the city is gearing itself up as a leading global tourism and leisure center, as well as a major platform to facilitate trade and business between Portuguese speaking regions.
目前，澳門人均國內生產總值居世界第四，爲避免快速增長的澳門經濟脫軌，澳門計劃轉變爲全球主要旅遊休閒中心，以及促進與中葡經貿合作的服務平臺。
However, such a diversified economy, Li said, cannot be realized at the cost of sacrificing gaming interests, which are the pillar industry of Macao.
然而李剛強調，博彩業是澳門的龍頭企業，我們不能用犧牲博彩業的利益來換取多元經濟的發展。
Instead, the SAR's government should encourage the gaming houses to embrace the transition, a period estimated to last 20 to 30 years, he said.
李剛表示，澳門特區政府應鼓勵賭場積極轉型，這估計需要20到30年時間。
Vocabulary
juncture：時刻
proactively：主動地，先發制人地
inflection point：拐點，轉折點
derail：脫軌
phenomenal：非凡的
facilitate：促進
