Inside Asian Gaming

OCTOBER 2018 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 29 COLUMNISTS The data collected is, in our view, insufficient – it does not clearly show the number of casino employees (other than dealers) who are indeed affected by a gambling disorder – and the most recent data seems to point in a different direction. workers who provide respective services within the casino premises including, but not limited to, table games, gaming machines, cashiers, public relations, F&B, cleaning, security and surveillance shall be banned from entering any casino premises (not only those operated by respective employers) outside working hours. The underlying reason for this ban (which is based on data collected from 2011 until 2016) is that the majority of individuals affected by gambling problems are dealers or other workers from the gaming sector. Therefore, their protection should be reinforced. But we see no reason for this amendment. Although understanding the underlying concerns and even assuming (based on known studies) that casino employees, because of their full access and exposure to gambling, may have higher levels of gambling related problems, the suggested amendment goes too far and is probably not the correct way of addressing that concern. The data collected is, in our view, insufficient – it does not clearly show the number of casino employees (other than dealers 1 ) who are indeed affected by a gambling disorder – and the most recent data seems to point in a different direction. Going back to the RGAR Survey, one of the conclusions is that “Gaming employees (90.8%) continued to have significantly higher level of awareness of responsible gambling than non-gaming employees (57.8%). In this study, gaming employees were found to have better understanding of casino gambling. Besides, gaming employees … were more generally aware of the government’s responsible gambling policies and regulations.” 2 Why shouldn’t employees of the noodle corner inside the gaming floor be allowed to enter a casino outside of working hours? Macau gaming staff will soon be banned from entering the city’s gaming floors outside of work hours.