The Amusement Game Centres Subsidy Scheme and the Mahjong/Tin Kau Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme under the sixth round of the Anti-epidemic Fund (AEF) will open for application next Monday (February 21).
The outbreak of the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic in January 2022 and the resulting tightening of social distancing measures have dealt a severe blow to different sectors. As such, the Government has rolled out the sixth round of the AEF to provide the needed support to businesses (including amusement game centres and mahjong/tin kau premises) hard hit by the pandemic and the prolonged tightening of social distancing measures.
The Amusement Game Centres Subsidy Scheme provides a subsidy of $100,000 to each of the eligible operators of Amusement Game Centres licensed under the Amusement Game Centres Ordinance (Cap. 435), eligible operators of e-sports venues that have been duly exempted (or have applied for but not yet obtained exemption) from the same ordinance and eligible operators of Internet computer services centres registered with the Office of the Licensing Authority (OLA) under the Home Affairs Department.
The Mahjong/Tin Kau Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme provides a subsidy of $100,000 to each eligible holder of a Mahjong/Tin Kau licence issued under the Gambling Ordinance (Cap. 148).
The above licences should be issued under respective Ordinance on or before January 7, 2022. Please refer to the application forms and guides for the detailed eligibility criteria and requirements. The application forms and guides to apply for the above subsidy schemes can be downloaded from the website of the OLA (www.hadla.gov.hk) since February 21. The OLA will also send emails/letters to the relevant licence holders or persons-in-charge of the premises to advise them about the subsidy schemes. The application deadline for the above schemes is March 21, 2022. Upon receipt of completed application forms and the required supporting documents, the disbursement of subsidies could be made in around two weeks the earliest. For details, please contact the OLA at 2116 5230 (Amusement Game Centres Subsidy Scheme) or 2117 2977 (Mahjong/Tin Kau Licence Holder Subsidy Scheme), or visit the website of the OLA.
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