Gaming | DICJ planning with operators ahead of peak typhoon season

The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) met with Macau’s gaming operators earlier this week in order to coordinate measures to be enforced ahead of what is considered to be the peak typhoon season, starting next month.

The local gaming regulator said in a statement after the meeting that the event served to discuss the contingency plans to be enforced.

The DICJ acknowledged that local integrated resorts host a very large number of tourists on their premises, together with a large number of workers. These factors are important considerations in the event of a severe storm.
During an evaluation of the events of the last two years, the DICJ took the opportunity to remind operators to conduct a regular assessment of their venues’ emergency plans, especially in cases where the venue is located in an area more likely to be affected by wind, rainfall or flooding.

In 2017, with the passage of Typhoon Hato – considered the most severe to have hit the region in half a century – two casino venues were affected, namely the casino located at Legend Palace Hotel on the waterfront and in the surroundings of the Outer Harbor, and the Ponte 16 Casino, located in the Inner Harbor area.

At the time, both casinos saw their gaming areas affected by floodwater, with the former being closed for renovation work for a period of about four months.

Official data shows that the region is affected by five to six typhoons on average every year.

According to statistics, the majority of typhoons that hit the region occur between July and September. The official typhoon season extends from May until November.  RM