3,000 people prosecuted for smoking inside casinos since 2013

Three thousand people were prosecuted for smoking inside casinos since the current tobacco control law came into effect in 2013, said Tang Chi Ho, Chief of the Tobacco Control and Prevention Office during yesterday’s TDM radio talk show. The talk show featured a discussion on the new tobacco control law that will come into effect on Monday.

Tang revealed that 20 percent of the smoking cases originating from casino inspections led to prosecutions.

When Tang’s office receives reports on smoking in casinos, it forwards the information to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ).

Tang considers the 20 percent prosecution rate to be relatively high, translating to one out of every five complaints to DICJ.

On average, 6,000 people are prosecuted every year, with 87 percent choosing to settle their penalties.

The new tobacco control law will ban smoking within 10 meters of bus stops. Tang said that his office has already completed 80 percent of preparatory works, including delimiting the area around each bus stop within which smoking is prohibited. The tobacco control office will also establish fixed smoking ban signs near these bus stops. 

Lo Iek Long, a chest and lung specialist at the Conde de São Januário Central Hospital (CHCSJ), noted that three out of 10 deaths in Macau are attributable to smoking-related diseases.

Lo also noted that Macau has clinics that provide quitting services to those in need. In fact, 40 percent of people in Macau who attempt to quit smoking are successful, which is a relatively good rate according to Lo. JZ