Inside Asian Gaming

IAG JAN 2021年1月 亞博匯 14 DICJ SAYS REPORTS OF DIGITAL YUAN COMING TO MACAU ARE “FAKE NEWS” 博監局指有關澳門實行數字人民幣政策之報道「不實」 亞博匯早報 BREAKFAST BRIEFS MACAU’S GAMING REGULATOR , the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau, says a news report claiming the SAR government was considering introducing a cryptocurrency backed by China’s central bank is not true. According to the Bloomberg report, the government has been discussing with casino operators the prospect of introducing the digital yuan, which could be used to purchase gaming chips – providing Beijing with greater oversight over cash flow through Macau’s casinos. It would also strike another blow to Macau’s junket industry by reducing their ability to provide credit and exchange currency. “If applied widely, the digital yuan will bring a significant hit to both the VIP and mass segments,” said Zhou Jinquan, associate professor at the Centre for Gaming and Tourism Studies of Macau Polytechnic Institute, in the Bloomberg report. “It’ll breach customer privacy and restrict people’s betting amount to the potential conversion cap imposed on the digital yuan to foreign currencies.” In response, the DICJ was quick to deny such plans, issuing a short statement on Wednesday that read, “We hereby clarify that the use of digitized renminbi in casinos is a false report.” The regulator was recently forced to also deny reports that Macau’s government was actively considering the introduction of online gambling as a means of easing some of the pressure on casino operators brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic. A similar measure is currently being introduced in the Philippines, where PAGCOR has granted some operators permission to offer online gambling services. 澳門博彩監察協調局 日前表示，有關特區政府正在考慮引入內地 央行主導之數字貨幣的報道為不實。 彭博社早前報道，澳門政府正在與博企商討引入數字人民 幣的可行性，其中主要是利用數字人民幣去購買籌碼，以令北京 可以加強監管澳門賭場的資金流。這將對澳門博彩中介人業務造 成另一個打擊，令他們向顧客提供信貸和兌換貨幣的能力大大降 低。 澳門理工學院博彩旅遊教學及研究中心周金泉在彭博的報 道稱︰「一旦數字人民幣廣泛執行，將令貴賓廳和中場受到嚴重 打擊。」 「這將侵犯顧客的隱私和限制他們的投注額，某程度上限制 數字人民幣與外幣的兌換。」 博監局早前亦否認澳門政府正積極考慮引入網絡博彩以協 助博彩業界在疫後恢復的報道。 菲律賓博彩監管機構PAGCOR近日已批准類似政策，准許部 分業者經營網絡博彩業務。