The Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday finallyapproved a government-drafted bill rising the minimum age to legally enter andwork in a casino from the current 18 to 21 years plus an article allowingpeople to request a casino entry ban for themselves.

The new rules will take effect on November 1. 

According to The Macau Post Daily, the casino entry ban raised the concerns of severallawmakers who pointed out that pathological gamblers employed by the casinosector might not seek counselling as they could lose their jobs. 

Existing casino employees under the age of 21 yearswill not be affected by the bill.

Secretary for Economy and Finance Francis Tam PakYuen, whose portfolio includes the supervision of the gaming industry, andother senior officials attended yesterday’s plenary session to answerlawmakers’ questions about the bill before voting for the respective articles.

According to Tam, the goal of the bill is to ensurethat local youths will not be influenced by the adverse effects of gamblinguntil they are “mentally mature”.  

The bill regulates the conditions of entering andgambling in casinos. It also states that pathological gamblers should be bannedfrom entering casinos for their own good.

According to the bill, anyone –namely pathologicalgamblers – or a family member is eligible to request a two-year casino entryban from the Gaming Inspection and Co-ordination Bureau (DICJ). However, ifrequested by a family member, the ban must get the formal agreement from theaffected person. He or she can request a lifting of the ban at any time, butthe law states that it would take 30 days for the lifting of the ban to comeinto force. The person can also request a renewal of the ban after the two-yearperiod. 

The bill also states that all winnings from those agedless than 21 years old – if they managed to sneak into a casino - must behanded over to the government.

According to the bill, anyone under the age of 21found in a casino would be fined between 1,000 and 10,000 patacas for breakingthe law, while the respective casino company would be fined between 10,000 and500,000 patacas for not complying with its supervisory duties.

Tam told lawmakers that the government suggested thebill take effect on November 1, although it was originally scheduled to becomeeffective on July 2. 

The outline of the bill was approved by thelegislature in June last year. The bill is set to become law after itspromulgation in the Official Gazette (BO).

source: macaunews