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Macau workers banned from local casinos

Macau is a hotspot for gambling fanatics around the world and has gradually gained the position of the gambling capital of the world, even overtaking Las Vegas. The major factor in Macau’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the revenue coming from gambling and tourism industries.

As reported by Gutshot this July, Macau had introduced a draft bill that would ban casino workers from entering in local casinos. The purpose was to tackle problem gamblers and casino workers’ addictions.

Macau’s Legislative Assembly passed this draft bill thereby making it a law yesterday. Among the casino workers, the range of employees include EGM workers, cleaners, security personnel, cashiers and public relations staff. The draft bill also added junket workers to its list of banned employees a couple of months ago.

The passed law won’t come into effect until late 2019 or early 2020. Macau government is offering a year’s worth of time for casino employees and employers to adjust to the new situation. Over 52,000 Macau casino workers are estimated to be affected by this law.

Hoi Wa Pou, Deputy Director of Macau’s Social Affairs Bureau, brought this issue to the limelight initially, after a study showed that over 30% of people who face gambling-related issues are casino workers.

Workers who don’t take this law seriously will be fined any amount between MOP (Macanese pataca) 1,000 and MOP 10,000, which is around ~INR 8.5K to ~INR 80.5K. However, there are certain exceptions to the rule. For example, employees will be allowed play at the casinos for training purposes. In addition, the first three days of the Lunar New Year (Chinese New Year) will see the casino doors open for casino workers too.

Keep reading GutshotMagazine.com for updates on similar stories and general gaming news from around the world.

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