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Persona Non Grata: Junket Workers Join Employees Locked Out of Macau Casinos

Macau is known as the largest and most popular gambling hub on a global scale and this inevitably comes with the responsibility of protecting all individuals part of its casino workforce. This Monday brought the news that as many as 8,000 individuals currently employed by the junket operators in the region will be directly affected by the proposed ban on entering casino venues outside of their working hours, as they will also be added to the previously established list of casino workers.

Frontline workers in the casino industry who are subjected to the direct influence of gambling on a daily basis are among the individuals under the highest risk of developing problem gambling tendencies and experiencing gambling addiction. In an attempt to minimize this negative impact, lawmakers have proposed Law No. 10/2012 which would prevent casino workers from entering the premises of any casino venue across Macau when they are not at work.

Monday Brings News for Junket Workers

On a scheduled meeting which took place this Monday, it was decided that junket workers will also be barred from participating in gambling activities in casino venues outside their working hours. Confirmation came from Chairman of the 1st standing committee of the Legislative Assembly, Ho Ion Sang.

Upon estimation of the overall number of people currently employed by junket operators, more than 8,000 individuals will be directly affected if a green light is given to the regulation. Recent meetings between the local regulator Gaming Inspection and Co-ordination Bureau and junket operator representatives resulted in the ultimate decision.

At its original form the document introduced by the Macau SAR Government was targeting only employees working at gaming tables and slot devices, as they were considered the most threatened by gambling addiction. However, as a consequence of more deliberation on the proposed regulation and further investigation across the field more employees were added to it over the summer months.

Cashiers, along with workers overseeing the food and beverage outlets, cleaning staff, and the security staff of any location could also face restrictions as a result of this new regulation. When all is said and done, following the addition of junket employees more than 54,000 individuals will end up banned from casino venues across Macau.

Further Details Revealed Regarding Proposed Ban

Their working environment could take its toll on their gambling habits and general attitude towards gaming. In addition to that, there is also the workplace stress which inevitably comes with time and could potentially trigger unhealthy gaming habits. In addition to that this Monday also brought some further improvements to the proposed bill affecting individuals caught trespassing the law and especially the amount of cash which could be found in their possession at the time.

According to the proposed measure, such amounts will have to be confirmed by the gaming inspector, the gambling venue in question, as well as the individual caught red-handed. Furthermore, the casino venue will have to obtain said amount and maintain it until the ultimate ruling of the authority is reached. It is still a matter of time before the Government issues an official statement pointing out the way it is going to establish the estimation process of the amount seized.

It could be recalled that earlier this summer, the Committee Chairman issued a statement clarifying that junket employees will be excluded of the proposed ban, as their working hours are fluid and this could complicate the monitoring process. Casino workers will be allowed to enter a casino venue only when they are at their workplace, during the first three days of Lunar New Year, as well as if it is mandated by a training program.



 Author: Harrison Young

Harrison Young is an experienced writer, who started his career almost 8 years ago. Prior to joining our team at CasinoGamesPro, he worked as an editor for a small magazine.
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