The amended tobacco control law taking effective on January 1 requires casinos and other gambling premises to have smoking lounges of higher standards than previously, each of which must be approved by the government, but so far – out of a total of 437 applications – just 49 have been officially certified, according to Health Bureau (SSM) data released yesterday.
The information was provided to reporters after Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng, accompanied by SSM Director Lei Chin Ion and SSM Smoking Prevention and Control Office Director Tang Chi Ho, inspected the approved smoking lounges at the Venetian VIP gaming area and Studio City mass-market gaming area.
Tam told the media after his Studio City visit that he was “very satisfied” with the results of the new smoking lounges as their standards were higher than officially required, adding that the arrangement would help protect locals and tourists alike from tobacco harm.
Under the amended law, there will be a blanket smoking ban in casinos, and people who want to smoke while in casinos can only do so in government-approved smoking lounges that are of a higher standard than the previous ones.
The government has previously announced that casinos and other gaming venues such as slot-machine parlours that apply for the approval of the higher standard smoking lounges before September 28 would be able to have them certified by January 1, 2019, while there was no guarantee on the approval time for those that applied after that date.
According to SSM data, 27 casinos applied before September 28 for 404 high standard smoking lounges, of which just 49 have so far been approved. Six casinos have applied for 33 smoking lounges since September 28.
“We won’t be able to approve them all before January 1, 2019, since sufficient documents have not been provided for about 200 of the smoking lounges,” Lei said.
Tang added that more inspections would be arranged at casinos without government-approved smoking lounges as it would be more likely that people would break the law there.
There are a total of 47 casinos and other gambling premises in Macau, and according to Tam, up until now, 19 of them have still not applied for higher standard smoking lounges.
According to the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) website, Macau had 41 casinos and five Mocha slot-machine parlous located outside casino premises at the end of September.
Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture Alexis Tam Chon Weng (centre) behind a mike stand at Studio City talks to reporters after inspecting the casino’s government-approved high-standard smoking lounges yesterday, as Health Bureau (SSM) Director Lei Chin Ion (left) looks on. Photo: Monica Leong
