The Government will work to ensure strict enforcement of the ban on mobile telephone use by customers at Macao’s casino tables. The Government’s firm stance on the matter – as part of its policy on the gaming industry – was reiterated today by the Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Leong Vai Tac. The Government was additionally analysing what action it might take in relation to any ‘proxy’ service that might be offered by a Macao gaming promoter seeking to enable its gambling clients to make bets via casinos overseas, Mr Leong told reporters this evening after a plenary session at the Legislative Assembly. If such services were found to contravene the laws of Macao, the Government would take firm enforcement measures against such activities, he stressed. In general, using mobile telephones while betting in casinos in Macao is prohibited, Mr Leong added. The Government had kept in close touch with casino operators and gaming promoters regarding this issue. The Government had previously clarified that with effect from 9 May the use of mobile telephones at gaming tables in VIP rooms at local casinos would not be permitted. The measure was aimed at further regulating, in an orderly way, the city’s gaming industry. It would assist a better and healthier development of the industry and prevent the possibility of irregularities occurring. It was definitely not designed as some kind of administrative measure to hurt gaming revenue, said Mr Leong. By implementing the telephone ban in relation to table betting, the Government hoped to attract a greater number of general visitors to Macao. This would benefit the city’s small- and medium-sized enterprises and the development of non-gaming offerings at local resorts. Regarding the development of the gaming promotion sector, Mr Leong said strengthening supervision of gaming promoters and increasing the financial threshold for companies interested in entering the sector were the likely major directions for any revision in regulation. The Government pays great attention to the healthy development of gaming promoters and to the opinion from the community on how further to manage the gaming promotion sector. Opinion was sought in particular on how to prevent irregularities that – while perhaps not violating existing laws – were of great concern to society, Mr Leong added. The Secretary said the Government was also keeping an eye on technology trends, and how they might affect the operations of the local gaming industry.
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