Macau’s Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a bill banning local casino workers from entering Macau casinos outside of working hours.
As previously reported by Inside Asian Gaming, the bill targets employees working in a range of positions in Macau casinos including dealers and EGM workers, cleaners, security personnel, cashiers and even some public relations staff and junket workers. Those employees will only be allowed to enter casinos on the first three days of the Lunar New Year and for work-related activities such as training.
Law No. 10/2012 won’t officially come into effect until late 2019 or early 2020, with the government offering operators and employees 12-months to prepare for enforcement of the new law after it is officially announced. It is estimated to cover around 52,000 Macau casino employees.
The bill, which was provisionally approved in July, is aimed at curbing problem gambling among casino employees. It was revealed by the Deputy Director of Macau’s Social Affairs Bureau, Hoi Wa Pou, earlier this year that around 30% of all individuals who ask for assistance in dealing with a gambling problem work in the casino industry.
Workers found to be in a casino outside of work hours would face fines of between MOP$1,000 and MOP$10,000, however there are still some questions being asked as to exactly how effectively the law can be enforced. Lawmakers have previously suggested everything from facial recognition technology to random ID checks as the most likely method.
