{"id":83839,"date":"2018-07-14T12:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-07-14T19:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=83839"},"modified":"2018-07-13T15:05:38","modified_gmt":"2018-07-13T22:05:38","slug":"macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/","title":{"rendered":"Macau Legislators Pass First Draft of Gaming Worker Casino Ban, But Implementation Questions Remain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Macau\u2019s Legislative Assembly passed a first draft of a bill that would ban many gaming workers from entering casinos outside of work hours, but some lawmakers raised questions about how exactly the legislation would be enforced if it came into law.<\/p>\n

\"Macau
Patrons enjoy table games and slot machines on the gaming floor of the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. (Image: Grand Lisboa\/CNN)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The first read of the bill will now send it to a working committee of the Legislative Assembly, after which it will return to the full body for a second and final vote.<\/p>\n

Bill Addresses Addiction Concerns<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Government officials are hoping that a law preventing casino workers from reentering gaming floors after work hours could help curtail problem gambling in the industry. According to data from the Social Welfare Bureau, gaming workers and card dealers in Macau are disproportionately likely to have gambling addiction issues.<\/p>\n

While early forms of the bill only applied such a ban to those who worked gaming tables and machines, the version that was passed on Thursday includes workers in security, maintenance, public relations, and cashier\u2019s offices, among other areas.<\/p>\n

The rules would require an almost complete ban from gaming floors for such workers outside of their time on the job. The only exceptions would be for training activities and other situations that are justified by their employment, or during the first three days of the Lunar New Year<\/a>, which would now be the only time that gaming workers would be authorized to gamble.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers Question Implementation of Policies<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Such a broad restriction left lawmakers with plenty of questions, ranging from how such a ban could be enforced to whether the laws might violate the civil rights of the territory\u2019s residents.<\/p>\n

According to legislator Zheng Anting, casinos would have to significantly step up their efforts to identify guests in order to effectively prevent workers from gaining access to casino floors.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople under 21 years old are currently not allowed to enter, but many guards only look at peoples\u2019 faces and make their assessment,\u201d Anting said during the meeting. \u201cIf only current procedures are used, there will be problems in efficiently enforcing the law.\u201d<\/p>\n

Legislator Si Ka Lon voiced concerns that if workers couldn\u2019t even enter casinos for social reasons, the bill \u201ccould go against the Basic Law.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an unequal treatment and the government needs to explain better its reasoning,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Reaction to the idea of banning casino workers from spending their leisure time on gaming floors has been mixed ever since it was first proposed last year<\/a>. While some local problem gambling groups praised the idea as a way of curbing addiction, some workers felt the rules were far too broad.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith what they propose, we would only be allowed to gamble in casinos during Chinese New Year,\u201d Cloee Chao, director of a local gaming labor activist group, told GGRAsia<\/em> last October. \u201cOutside that period, we would not even be allowed to take our relatives or friends to enter gaming areas of casinos when they visit Macau.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The bill could remain in committee for months before receiving a final vote from the Legislative Assembly. If it passes, workers who violated the new rules would face a fine of between MOP1,000 ($124) and MOP10,000 ($1,240).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Macau\u2019s Legislative Assembly passed a first draft of a bill that would ban many gaming workers from entering casinos outside of work hours, but some lawmakers raised questions about how exactly the legislation would be enforced if it came into law. The first read of the bill will now send it to a working committee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":83842,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[62,13,18],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMacau Legislators Pass First Draft of Gaming Worker Casino Ban<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Macau lawmakers passed the first draft of a bill that would prevent most casino workers from entering gaming floors while they were not on duty for work.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Macau Legislators Pass First Draft of Gaming Worker Casino Ban\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Macau lawmakers passed the first draft of a bill that would prevent most casino workers from entering gaming floors while they were not on duty for work.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Casino.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-07-14T19:00:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-07-13T22:05:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Macau-Gaming-Floor.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Casino_Org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casino.org Staff Writer\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/\",\"name\":\"Macau Legislators Pass First Draft of Gaming Worker Casino Ban\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Macau-Gaming-Floor.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-07-14T19:00:18+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-07-13T22:05:38+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\"},\"description\":\"Macau lawmakers passed the first draft of a bill that would prevent most casino workers from entering gaming floors while they were not on duty for work.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Macau-Gaming-Floor.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Macau-Gaming-Floor.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Patrons enjoy table games and slot machines on the gaming floor of the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. (Image: Grand Lisboa\/CNN)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Legislation\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/legislation\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Macau Legislators Pass First Draft of Gaming Worker Casino Ban, But Implementation Questions Remain\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/\",\"name\":\"Casino.org\",\"description\":\"Latest Casino and Gaming News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77\",\"name\":\"Casino.org Staff Writer\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Casino.org Staff Writer\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/corg-staff-writer\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Macau Legislators Pass First Draft of Gaming Worker Casino Ban","description":"Macau lawmakers passed the first draft of a bill that would prevent most casino workers from entering gaming floors while they were not on duty for work.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Macau Legislators Pass First Draft of Gaming Worker Casino Ban","og_description":"Macau lawmakers passed the first draft of a bill that would prevent most casino workers from entering gaming floors while they were not on duty for work.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/","og_site_name":"Casino.org","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Casino.OrgNews","article_published_time":"2018-07-14T19:00:18+00:00","article_modified_time":"2018-07-13T22:05:38+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Macau-Gaming-Floor.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Casino.org Staff Writer","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Casino_Org","twitter_site":"@Casino_Org","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Casino.org Staff Writer","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/","name":"Macau Legislators Pass First Draft of Gaming Worker Casino Ban","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Macau-Gaming-Floor.jpg","datePublished":"2018-07-14T19:00:18+00:00","dateModified":"2018-07-13T22:05:38+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77"},"description":"Macau lawmakers passed the first draft of a bill that would prevent most casino workers from entering gaming floors while they were not on duty for work.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Macau-Gaming-Floor.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Macau-Gaming-Floor.jpg","width":1600,"height":900,"caption":"Patrons enjoy table games and slot machines on the gaming floor of the Grand Lisboa Casino in Macau. (Image: Grand Lisboa\/CNN)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-legislators-pass-first-draft-of-gaming-worker-casino-ban\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Legislation","item":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/legislation\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Macau Legislators Pass First Draft of Gaming Worker Casino Ban, But Implementation Questions Remain"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/","name":"Casino.org","description":"Latest Casino and Gaming News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/8c48bf89dc86da77b4d856c7b3b78d77","name":"Casino.org Staff Writer","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0853bd574da5b217483afb1fbbee33a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Casino.org Staff Writer"},"url":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/author\/corg-staff-writer\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83839"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=83839"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/83839\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/83842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=83839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=83839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=83839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}