A total of 42 casino visitors were fined MOP400 (US$50) each, for smoking in non-designated areas in the first 19 hours after the new partial ban on smoking inside casinos was enacted, the Health Bureau said in a statement. Of those people, the majority (21) were tourists from the mainland, nine from Hong Kong, and eight from other places. Four people were local residents. Under the new rules, enacted yesterday, smoking inside casinos is only allowed in designated areas. Casinos can allocate up to 50 percent of their gaming floor space as smoking areas. All of Macau’s 44 gaming venues, including casinos and slot machine parlours, have obtained permission to set up smoking areas from January 1. However, parts of the smoking areas in seven casinos – Lisboa, Kam Pek, Casa Real, The Legend Club, Grand Lisboa, Sands Cotai Central and MGM Macau – were not ready when the ban on smoking was enacted. The Health Bureau says that some of the larger casinos have more than one smoking area.
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