Macau lawmakers Keep debate on draft legislation Intending to Pub casino Employees from entering gambling Places outside work hours
A particularly appointed inspector will conduct random checks on Macau casino personnel as part of a recently proposed draft legislation that aims to ban workers employed in the city’s gambling industry from entering casinos outdoor work hours.
The decision about the appointment of an inspector who would perform those random checks was announced earlier today after a meeting of the Macau Standing Committee, during which the ban and details of its enforcement were discussed.
The inspector will probably be made by Macau’s casino regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, and will be tasked with the duty of performing random checks at the town ’s casinos. The inspector will also need to report on any casino workers that have been proven to be breaching the new ban when and if it is enforced.
Ho Ion Sang, Chairman of the First Standing Committee, told local media on Wednesday that other third-party reports may also be ran. Several other steps would also be implemented as part of the casino team ban, for example, launching of a 24-hour telephone hotline and the supply of promotional materials to inform casino personnel about the campaign.
The proposed ban will be tabled to Macau’s Legislative Assembly where it is expected to be examined in detail in December.
The draft legislation suggesting casino staff to be prohibited from casino external work hours emerged last summer. Macau lawmakers said back then that the laws aimed to stop workers at the city’s gambling venues from being overexposed to gambling and potentially become gambling addicts.
Besides individuals employed at Macau’s casino floors, that is dealers and gambling machine workers, the ban may also affect cashiers, public relations workers, food and beverage staff, and security and cleaning employees . It is thought that a total of 54,000 individuals will be affected by the prohibition, if it increases the necessary aid in Macau’s Legislature.
It has also become apparent during previous meetings regarding the proposed draft laws that approximately 8,000 workers at junket operators will, also, be added to the list of the ban could impact, if enforced.
While the legislative part has gained support from numerous lawmakers, there also have been legislators that have questioned the effectiveness of the recently proposed limitations . Based on Angela Leong On Kei, a local lawmaker and Chairwoman of casino operator SJM Holdings, the implementation of the ban could face challenges of different character, as casino businesses would not have the capability to detect workers that are employed at rival businesses.
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