Wynn has been tolerating illegal smoking, petition states

Thursday 11th of January 2018

A group of gaming workers from Wynn Macau have submitted a petition to the MSAR government complaining of Wynn’s alleged tolerance of clients’ illegal smoking, local media reports.

Choi Kam Fu, the director-general of the Macau Gaming Enterprises Staff Association, said the group went to the chief executive to discuss “long-term infractions which have not yet been solved.”

The group alleges that Wynn Macau has been providing smoking-related devices, such as lighters and ashtrays, as well as informing clients in advance of inspections conducted by the Office for the Prevention and Control of Tobacco.

“The company spoils some customers by allowing them to smoke in the mass area. In particular, concerning the high-limits area, [and] whether it is defined as a smoking prohibited area or not, the company and the government have not given the employees a clear answer,” said Choi.

Choi said that some workers who had reminded customers about smoking were, in some cases, moved to other, less desirable positions.

“The company has the responsibility and obligation to assist workers in persuading or banning illegally smoking customers, [and] not spoiling them [the customers] as it does now, not telling them [customers] to hide their smoking tools when it [the company] knows that tobacco control officers are arriving. This situation must change,” said Choi.

Choi has urged the government to revise the monitoring regulations for casinos - which should allow workers to access CCTV records to pinpoint times when people have been smoking in the casino.

“Because, in most cases, the smoker would finish smoking by the time the inspectors come,” said Choi.

The group has also urged the government to permit public access to information regarding where smokers are permitted to smoke in a casino venue, which has not been clear to date.

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