AL Plenary | Gov’t ‘stands firm’ on implementing full casino smoking ban

The Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, has said that the government “stands firm” on its intention to implement a full smoking ban in casinos. During yesterday’s Legislative Assembly (AL) plenary meeting, some lawmakers raised concerns over the potential impact of a full smoking ban on the region’s gaming revenue, which dropped again for the 11th consecutive month in April.
A spoken enquiry by Leong Veng Chai triggered further discussion on the implementation of a full smoking ban, which had been first announced back in January.
“The Macau government has already expressed its point of view. We stand firm [on our intention to implement a full smoking ban] and we will revise the law. We’re in the final stage of reviewing it, and we are aiming to complete it within the first half of this year,” Mr Tam reiterated.
Last January, the Health Bureau (SSM) announced that it was aiming to implement a full smoking ban. This would mean that smoking would be prohibited not only on mass gaming floors, but also within VIP rooms. Current smoking lounges would also be forced to close if the bill is approved.
It is clear, however, that the new policy still divides lawmakers. Some are calling for further measures to ensure that smoking is prohibited in a larger number of outdoor locations, while others highlighted that a full smoking ban in casinos might have a negative impact on gaming revenue.
Indirectly elected lawmaker Chan Chak Mo is among those who have raised concerns over a possible impact on Macau’s economy: “Will it contribute to a sharper drop in gaming revenue? Did the government take this into consideration? Once a full smoking ban is in place in casinos, will gamblers refrain from coming here? This could have a great impact on Macau’s economy.”
Cheang Chi Keong pointed out that Macau is a tourist hot-­spot, and “some tourists and casino employees also smoke.” “Why are we implementing a full smoking ban?” he questioned. He stressed that casinos could still have smoking rooms with an advanced ventilation system.
Victor Kwan believes that the government could find other ways to prevent citizens from smoking, and said that this might not be the right time to implement a full smoking ban, given the current downward momentum in revenue.
On the other hand, Ng Kuok Cheong recalled that smoking is prohibited in indoor areas, and reasoned that this should include casinos. Lawmaker Lei Cheng I also stressed that casinos are still facing challenges when it comes to smoking, and that the government needs to improve supervision measures to ensure that citizens and tourists are complying with the law.
The Secretary pointed out that gaming revenue dropped more significantly within VIP rooms, where gamblers are still allowed to smoke. Furthermore, he quoted the findings of a report on the tobacco prevention and control scheme, which shows that 85 percent of surveyed tourists agree with a full smoking ban. Moreover, among those only 30 percent are smokers, and only 10 percent of the tourists said that they’re considering not coming to Macau again if a full smoking ban is implemented in the city’s casinos.
“What dangers lie behind smoking? You can simply go onto your iPads and search the Internet. Smoking presents severe risks to our health, and that of tourists and residents,” the Secretary warned.
In addition to a full smoking ban inside casinos, the government is also proposing a significant increase on tobacco tax; an increase in the severity of fines applied to illegal smoking; and restrictions on tobacco imports.