Lounges must comply by January 1
Macau casinos, under order to have their modified smoking lounges approved by the city’s Health Bureau, were expected to apply en masse for official inspections last week.
According to GGRAsia, operators who dawdled getting their lounges OK’d now are in a rush; though the new smoking rules don’t take effect until January 1, operators were advised to apply by September 28 to ensure that the process could be completed in time, said Health Bureau chief Lei Chin Ion.
As of last week, said Lei, just 16 of Macau’s 39 casinos had submitted their applications for a total of 233 inspection requests. Of those requests, just 10 smoking lounges in two casinos had been approved by the city’s authorities—the lounges at Ponte 16, a joint venture of SJM Holdings and Success Universe Group, and Studio City, a Melco Resorts and Entertainment property.
In July 2017, Macau lawmakers approved new smoking rules that banned tableside tobacco use in VIP rooms but gave operators a year to enforce them. Under the revised laws, all smoking lounges in casinos must conform to enhanced technical standards.
Lei said three government departments must inspect the remaining properties: the Health Bureau, the Fire Services Bureau and the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau.
More than 1,140 people have been cited for illegal smoking in casinos in the first eight months of the year, representing 30.1 percent of all prosecutions, IAG reported. More than 87 percent of smokers prosecuted inside casinos were tourists.
