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Summary
- DICJ appreciates six gaming concessionaires
- Tourism numbers encouraging for Macau casino operators
- Fake bank notes racket busted due to vigilance of casino operators
Macau, the biggest gambling hub in the world is slowly but surely returning to normal as casino operators look to put COVID-19 behind them and get back to business as usual. Casino operators lost billions of dollars due to the coronavirus pandemic but were able to get back to business quickly due to their compliance with COVID-19 requirements that were imposed by the Macau government.
The Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) which is the gaming regulator in Macau appreciated all six gaming concessionaires for their full cooperation during these tough times. The DICJ sent out an official press release saying that by following the health declarations that were published via the electronic health code system in Macau and carrying out stringent checks at their casino resorts, casino operators were able to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Gaming operators also worked closely with the government to establish as many as 10 testing sites at their premises during these difficult times. Macau has finished three extensive COVID-19 testing rounds throughout the city since August, with the latest one taking place in October and the reports have all been good.
Tourism is slowly picking up in Macau which is one of the main sources of traffic for casino operators in Macau. The Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) said that a total of 30,105 tourists entered Macau on Nov 12 which was the highest number of tourists in November so far. The daily tourist average during Nov 5 to 12 stood at 25,433 which was a good increase as the average number of tourists during October was 10,622.
Gaming Related Crimes Down
The DICJ also appreciated the six gaming concessionaires for working closely together with the authorities based on the 24 hour communication protocol in place to address gaming related crimes. The DICJ said that one of the more serious crimes that were taking place at Macau casinos was of criminals using fake bank notes as real money.
Banks often use these fake bank notes to train their tellers. These fake bank notes look very much like real money and criminals have taken advantage of this to pass it off as real money at the casinos. This scam was busted thanks to the vigilance of casino officials and the authorities claim to have busted the gang responsible for this crime.
