Sands China workers asked to carry cash

Gaming operator Sands China Ltd. has ordered its slot machine workers to carry cash of HK$250,000 (US$31,127) from next month in order to distribute dividends to gamblers immediately, local gaming associations claim. The director-general of the Macau Gaming Enterprises Staff Association, Choi Kam Fu, led more than 10 slot machine workers of The Venetian Macao to meet with the city’s Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) last Friday, urging the government department to stop the operator from implementing the new measure in its casinos. The Association claimed that Sands China would increase the pressure on its workers. Meanwhile, according to Mr. Choi, DSAL said it would contact the gaming operator to understand the measure as soon as possible. Another local gaming labour union, Forefront of Macau Gaming (FMG), claimed that it had also learned about the operator’s new policy, indicating not every slot machine worker had received the related orders. “We have confirmed that Sands China is really conducting such a policy according to our members. But we are still figuring out whether it is implementing it in all of its casinos,” the vice director of FMG, Lei Kuok Keong, told Business Daily yesterday. “The company primarily asked its supervisors in the slot machine areas to carry the cash. Meanwhile, we believe the cash is only for small-amount dividends, like HK$5,000 to HK$10,000. After all, casinos usually distribute a voucher for gamblers to exchange big-amount dividends,” he claimed. Business Daily tried to contact Sands China on the issue yesterday but it was unreachable before this story went to press. “From the company’s perspective, the policy makes work more efficient. But for workers, they are worried about the possible responsibilities of carrying cash; for example, whether they need to compensate the [company] if it is stolen or lost,” Mr. Lei said.