Wynn employees want strict supervision over casino smoking

A group of employees from casinos on Wynn properties visited the Office of the Chief Executive (CE) to deliver a letter to the government calling for strict supervision and strict law enforcement of tobacco control inside casinos.

Lawmakers Ella Lei and Leong Sun Iok accompanied the group during the visit.

Ella Lei told the media that approximately 100 Wynn employees visited the Macao Federation of Trade Union (FAOM), last October, to complain about the fact that Wynn Macau frequently allows customers to smoke inside its premises.

Choi Kam Fu, director general of the Macau Gaming Enterprises Staff Association, said that they visited the government and CE house regarding “long-term infractions which have not yet been solved.”

“The company spoils some customers by allowing them to smoke in the mass area. In particular, concerning the high-limits area, [and] whether it is defined as a smoking prohibited area or not, the company and the government have not given the employees a clear answer,” said Choi.

“Some workers who reminded customers [about smoking behaviors], not only did not receive support of the company but were punished by the company.”

Choi said that the Wynn employee advocate group hopes that the government will “urge casinos to cooperate with the government regarding tobacco-control.”

“The company has the responsibility and obligation to assist workers in persuading or banning illegally smoking customers, [and] not spoiling them [the customers] as it does now, nor telling them [customers] to hide their smoking tools when it [the company] knows that tobacco control officers are arriving. This situation must change,” declared Choi.

In Choi’s opinion, casino employees should write down the time and location of a smoking customer, and then forward the information to the tobacco control authority, which should then check the casino’s CCTV surveillance in order to prosecute said customer.

Choi believes that the above suggestion can become an important auxiliary tobacco control measure.

Some of the other employees also speak about the situation regarding smoking inside Wynn casino. These Wynn employees mainly spoke about the fact that some areas inside Wynn casinos are not clearly marked smoking-prohibited areas. These employees hope that their company can thus establish a clear division regarding smoking-ban areas.

A female employee, surnamed Tam, said that “even birds will die if they go in” the areas where she works, “not to mention humans.” She also said that her company “completely ignores” its workers.

Another female worker, surnamed Chen, who works in Wynn’s VIP casino room, said it is not only some customers who smoke inside, some junket promoters also smoke inside the VIP room.

A third Wynn employee, surnamed Ip, noted that customers smoke despite the non-smoking signs attached on every table in the area where he is working.

“Some customers display a one million HKD chip and [ask] are you going to fine [me]? This is a challenge for the Macau government’s laws [legal system],” said Ip.