Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JUL 2020年7月 亞博匯 62 IN FOCUS has been shown to vary wildly from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The mandatory wearing of face masks, for example, has been an easier sell in Asia than elsewhere due to the long-held tradition of people wearing masks in public when sick. In Macau, barely an eyebrow was raised when the gaming regulator (DICJ) stipulated that all guests entering the SAR’s casinos would be required to wear a mask. Even today, more than a month after Macau’s last active cases of COVID-19 were given the all clear, almost everyone has continued wearing masks – not only in casinos but whenever they leave their residence. It was recently revealed that 76 million face masks had been sold under the government’s facemask purchase scheme in the first four months since it was launched, equivalent to one mask per person, per day based on Macau’s population of 630,000. Compare that to Nevada, where the reluctance of many customers to wear face masks upon reopening ultimately led to governor Steve Sisolak issuing a directive in late June for masks to be worn in public settings, including casinos, following pressure from employee lobby groups. Assessing the realities of casinos reopening in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic, veteran gaming consultant Dennis Conrad notes, “Both casino customers and casino employees will be afraid to return to the casino world for a significant period of time. This fear must be acknowledged and respected. “All of the casino employees that were under- appreciated or taken for granted before the COVID-19 pandemic must be cherished, embraced and made to feel valued and safe after the pandemic.” “Good practices would start with ensuring that employees feel safe and secure returning to work,” says Kalé, adding that customers will likely feel safe if employees do. “It does not make sense to open a casino if perceived health safety does not exist. “I see no disconnect between employee safety and customer comfort. For sure the entire ambience will be one of discomfort and anxiety that both customers Jennifer Martinez, President and CEO of Las Vegas-based Consult HR Partners. 拉斯維加斯人資企業Consult HR Partners主席及行政總裁Jennifer Martinez。 “Companies who have demonstrated strong leadership where there is mutual trust between the manager and staff ... are the ones that will emerge from this the strongest.” – Jennifer Martinez 「那些表現出強大領導力的公司，即管 理層與下屬之間互相信賴、以及細心關 注員工滿意度或參與度的公司，將是最 快從疫情中復蘇的企業。」 ——Jennifer Martinez