Macau (MNA) – The Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, said this Monday that although gaming operators in the city were requested to stop operations due to Typhoon Mangkhut, the Macau government was still discussing if this is to become a standard procedure in similar emergency situations.
All casinos in Macau were ordered to suspend services as of 11:00 pm on Saturday due to Typhoon Mangkhut after the Civil Defence Centre had held a consultation with the Chief Executive (CE) Fernando Chui Sai On.
“There is no rule mandating [the closing] in the gaming concessionaires contracts but in order to guarantee the safety of tourists and residents we evaluated the risk, consulted the CE, with the decision communicated through Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac,” the Secretary for Security indicated.
According to the Secretary the gaming operators “also want to protect their employees” and an amendment in the Civil Protection Law bill currently being considered states that in case of emergency the Chief Executive could order the closure of casinos or the city’s borders.
“We still need to see if the bill will be approved. If so then in the future we can discuss the operational details,” the Secretary stated.
Brokerage Union Gaming indicated in a release that Typhoon Mangkhut was estimated to have caused between MOP1.1 billion (US$136 million) and MOP1.5 billion in gross gaming revenue losses for the local gaming sector.
