MGPOC claims it has a mechanism to prevent illegal advertising on race cars

In response to concerns about the legality of certain advertisements during the 71st Macau Grand Prix, the Macau Grand Prix Organizing Committee (MGPOC) told the Times that it has an established mechanism to monitor and evaluate advertising on racing vehicles.

According to the MGPOC’s response to the Times, “MGPOC has a mechanism to prevent advertising on the race cars. Before the start of the event, the MGOC warned all participating teams to avoid using logos and inappropriate messages. After the participating teams arrived in Macau, we evaluated the advertising once again,” the committee said. “Whenever a possible violation is detected, we communicate with the respective teams and coordinate with the Tobacco and Alcohol Prevention and Control Office to ensure that any offending content is removed.”

The MGPOC said such rules come directly from the regulations for the advertising of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and electronic cigarettes (Laws 7/89/M and 5/2011 and Chief Executive Order 39/2018) as well as the regime for the prevention and control of the consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors (Law 6/2023).

The committee noted that according to the racing event rules, “The MGPOC has restrictions on advertising containing tobacco, pornography, and betting, among others.” Furthermore, “In the event of non-compliance, the [Race] Steward has the right to impose sanctions, which may end in disqualification from the race.”

Despite all the facts listed and rules acknowledged by the MGPOC, over the last GP weekend, there were several racing vehicles displaying logos and brands that appeared to violate these regulations.

In addition to the previously reported finding by the Times that certain cars were displaying banners with the Chinese characters 优塔 followed by the English words “Crypto Casino,” the Times also observed two other vehicles, part of the FIA GT World Cup category, that displayed logos from “Tsingtao” Beer and “Geek VP” (a well-known electronic cigarette “vape” brand).

While the presence of the Tsingtao beer branding had become a recurring sight in previous local GP events, this was the first time advertising for a vape brand had appeared. The Times also observed that the livery of one of the cars featuring the e-cigarette branding was altered over the course of the weekend to remove the most obvious references to the vape product.

A notice on TV from the committee states, “Non-alcoholic champagne was provided to the winners for a celebration, in accordance with the existing regulations.”

According to the amended Law 5/2011 “Regime of Tobacco Prevention and Control,” individuals are barred from bringing e-cigarettes into and out of Macau. Individual offenders are liable for a fine of MOP4,000.

Macau has also recently banned the import of vaping products (or e-cigarettes), which led the Macao Government Tourism Office to issue a warning on its official website to remind those traveling to Macau that they are “barred from either bringing this type of product into Macau or from taking it out of the city.” The website further states that “Visitors to Macau should check their personal belongings for any vaping products before arriving to the city, in order to avoid violating the law.”

The law that entered into force Dec. 5, 2022, also provides that any private entity caught breaching this law could face fines ranging between MOP20,000 and MOP200,000.

Under the law, all activities associated with the production, selling, distribution, import and export of e-cigarettes are strictly prohibited.

Law 5/2011 also clearly states in Article 1, Number 5 that the law aims for the “prohibition of tobacco advertising, as well as its promotion and sponsorship.”

In the case of the ban on advertising alcoholic beverages, enforced worldwide, certain brands have found loopholes to continue to advertise non-alcoholic versions of their products – for example, 0% or “zero alcohol” beers, which has the effect of indirectly drawing attention to the overall suite of products that may include alcoholic variants. Brands also advertise other related products that are non-alcoholic, such as mineral water or fruit and juice-based drinks.

In the cases found in Macau, no references of this kind have been identified.

MGPOC focused on underage drinking

In the same response, the MGPOC attested that special measures taking into account new laws banning the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages by minors have been implemented. Such measures include visible signage in refreshment areas warning about the prohibition of alcohol consumption by minors. Additionally, adjustments were made at the prize-giving ceremony to ensure that underage winners did not receive alcoholic beverages.

According to MGPOC, “The public was also warned via messages on the broadcast screens [that the drinks were alcohol-free], while commentators present on site also publicized the information.”

Finally, the MGPOC noted that it was closely monitoring the issue of gambling advertising, as reported by the Times, and would take appropriate action against the illegal use of the Macau Grand Prix logo by betting sites.