The average earnings of casino dealers in Macau grew by 4.5 per cent last year, lower than the 5.5 per cent rise in annual consumer prices.
Soaring consumer prices have hampered the purchasing power of casino croupiers despite a rise in salaries, official figures reveal. The Statistics and Census Service announced this week that the average earnings of casino dealers, excluding bonuses and subsidies, amounted to 16,710 patacas (US$2,088.8) a month by last December, compared to 15,990 patacas a year earlier.
The rise in earnings of 25,250 casino dealers in the past year was slower than the 5.5 per cent increase in inflation, however. In addition, croupiers have remained unhappy in the past few months because of worries about losing their jobs to non-residents.
Gaming employees’ union Forefront of Macau Gaming organised a 1,000-strong protest on March 2 to express its anxiety about “relentless” gaming expansion which, it believes, will pave the way for the casinos to ask for non-residents to fill dealer positions.
