Casino operators in Macau have recently been warned to get ready for a few months of rough weather. On June 10, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau otherwise referred to as the DICJ, announced that it had met with the region’s casino operators to discuss their plans in case a bad typhoon hits the region.
According to data from the Macao Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau’s forecast, as many as six typhoons are expected to come within a striking distance (800 kilometers or 500 miles) of the region this year. In fact, the first typhoon is set to come as soon as mid-June and could extend until early October. During the meeting, the Macau gaming regulator urged the casino operators to keep their emergency plans up to date especially if they are located in the low-lying coastal areas that more prone to damage from floods and high winds.
While this may seem like rather low information, the routine reminder is very necessary one especially because of Macau’s reliance on the gaming industry. In fact, it would be an understatement to say that the amount of physical and economic damage a typhoon could cause would be devastating. It is therefore very important that operations in the gaming hub remain on toes despite the challenges.
In addition to discussing ways of getting ready for the forthcoming typhoon, the gaming regulator and the gambling companies further discussed at the series of meetings their experiences in dealing with the effect of the 2017 category-10 Typhoon Hato and the Category-10 Typhoon Mangkhut last year. This is perhaps meant to assist both parties in designing ways of mitigating and responding to potential problems during the storm period.
Security Concerns Also Discussed
The storm season aside, the Macau casino regulator also urges the city’s gaming operators to improve security measures at their facilities. This comes after the theft of gaming chips at one of the six gaming facilities last Friday. Paulo Martins Chan, the head of the gaming regulator, urged the city’s gaming operators to beef up security measures at each of the casinos – the casinos would be required to strengthen their existing security measures and get rid of loopholes. In addition to that, the operators have also been urged to actively collaborate with local law enforcement in order to curb security concerns.
Late last month, the Macau Judiciary Police reportedly held a meeting that was attended by gaming regulator and the Venetians Macao’s security department. During the meeting, they discussed and agreed on mechanisms for quick and effective communication that would help in the handling of major security issues in a timely and proper fashion.
