The government is launching a one-month public consultation today on a proposed ban on off-duty gaming staff entering local casinos.
A press conference about the public consultation was held Tuesday at the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) in Nam Van by Director Paulo Martins Chan.
The public consultation will end on October 26. Three public sessions will be held during the consultation period. In July last year, the bureau told reporters that it was studying the feasibility of a ban on gaming employees entering local casinos during their free time.
According to the Macau Post Daily, the bureau said at that time that it was also analysing whether such a ban should only include dealers or all staff employed by gaming operators.
The bureau proposes amendments to Law 10/2012 for the projected ban on off-duty gaming staff entering local casinos, according to the public consultation document.
The proposed amendments would have to be approved by the Legislative Assembly (AL) to take legal effect.
Currently, the city’s six gaming operators ban their off-duty employees from gambling in their own casinos, the consultation document points out, adding this means that off-duty staff can gamble in casinos not run by their employers.
The consultation document also points out that Law 10/2012 stipulates that employees are not allowed to gamble in the casinos run by their employer.
The law, which took effect in late 2012, lists the people who are banned from entering local casinos, including those under the age of 21 and public servants with the exception of the first three days of the Chinese New Year.
According to the consultation document, the bureau is proposing the ban on off-duty gaming staff entering all local casinos with the aim of reducing the risk of gaming staff becoming addicted to gambling.
Concerning which staff employed by gaming operators should be included in the proposed ban, the bureau suggests that it only includes those who engage in gaming activities during their working hours, such as dealers, table game supervisors, pit managers, casino cashiers and casino hosts, according to the consultation document.
The bureau proposes that the ban does not include employees who are not involved in gaming activities but need to walk through gaming areas when they are working, such as administration staff, food and beverage workers, security guards, surveillance staff and performers, the consultation document says.
The bureau proposes an exemption to the proposed ban – gaming staff are allowed to gamble in local casinos on the first three days of the Chinese New Year, the consultation document says.
The consultation document proposes that offenders would face a fine of between MOP 1,000 and 10,000.
In addition, the proposed amendments also include easier procedures for the bureau’s inspectors to fine those under the age of 21 who enter local casinos, according to the consultation document.
The consultation document points out that most of the offenders under the age of 21 entering local casinos are tourists.
