A Macau Health Bureau declaration that air quality in 26 of the city’s 44 gambling venues fell short of required levels has galvanised operators who may have doubted the government’s resolve to act on the issue.
“It’s now a ‘must-do’ issue,” said one casino engineer in the city, who said his employer was looking at new arrangements for its gaming tables and upgrades to its air conditioning systems. “We’ve now brought in a consultant to meet the air-quality requirements. We’re working with the contractors.”
Under the regulations that came into effect at the beginning of the year, smoking must be restricted to no more than half of a casino’s total public area, including the gaming floor, lobby areas and restaurants. Existing casinos were not required to partition off smoking areas. But failure to bring air quality up to standard after the recent round of inspections could lead to further reduction or full elimination of the smoking areas in non-compliant casinos and slot halls.
