Macau’s gaming regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ), has conducted field exercises with all six concessionaires in order to improve emergency response procedures in the city’s casinos during major typhoons.
The field exercises come after Macau was battered by two T10 typhoons in the past two years – Typhoon Hato in 2017 and Typhoon Mangkhut in 2018 – the first of which saw 10 people lose their lives and caused an estimated MOP$11.5 billion worth of damage. Mangkhut also caused major disruptions across Macau with the city’s 42 casinos all shut down for a 29-hour period last September.
According to the DICJ, this week’s exercises included simulations of communication mechanisms with cross-departmental and casino parties, and the suspension and re-opening of gaming tables to “enable the supervisory and casino staff of the Bureau to effectively review the overall operational procedures, harmonize operational guidelines and improve them.”
The Public Administration and Civil Services also participated in the Judiciary Police’s trial of a consultation center for major casino incidents at The Venetian Macao where emergency mechanisms were tested.
