Macau’s gaming regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), revealed late Monday that the government would close all casinos when a No. 8 typhoon signal is hoisted and will make proper arrangements for staff and visitors to depart in an orderly manner within two hours prior to the signal taking effect. The government had earlier in the day stated it would only close casinos once a signal higher than No. 8 was hoisted.
Super Typhoon Ragasa is forecast to strike Macau on Tuesday and Wednesday, with authorities and the public on high alert.
On Monday evening, the DICJ revealed it had convened an emergency typhoon meeting with the city’s six concessionaires alongside the Labour Affairs Bureau where it held in-depth discussions on the deployment of disaster prevention and emergency response plans for casinos during the upcoming severe weather conditions.
“Given that Ragasa is expected to significantly impact Macau, the government has decided to close all casinos upon the issuance of a No. 8 typhoon signal,” it stated.
“The DICJ requires all gaming concessionaires to ensure the orderly departure of staff and patrons from gaming establishments within two hours prior to the No. 8 typhoon signal taking effect.”
According to the Macao Meteorological Bureau, a No. 8 typhoon signal warning is expected to be issued between 4pm to 7pm on Tuesday, meaning Macau’s casinos could close around 4pm.
The Bureau also indicated that there is a high probability of a No. 9 typhoon signal warning being issued in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
This would mark the first closure of Macau’s casinos due to typhoon impacts since Typhoon Saola in September 2023. During Saola, then-Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng issued a directive mandating the closure of all casinos should a typhoon signal higher than No. 8 be in effect.
Macau’s current early warning system was established following Typhoon Hato’s landfall on 23 August 2017, which resulted in 10 fatalities and 244 injuries. Due to Hato’s destructive impact, most of Macau’s casinos experienced power outages during the onslaught, bringing gaming operations to a standstill. Subsequent government statistics indicated that Hato inflicted economic losses of MOP$12.55 billion (US$1.57 billion) upon Macau.
Consequently, the government and the public has placed significant emphasis on typhoon preparedness. When Super Typhoon Mangkhut struck Macau in September 2018, the government closed all casinos for the first time since 1847.
It also established a “civil protection legal regime” to address the impact of typhoons on the region.
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