Macau’s concessionaires have been asked to strengthen their security arrangements following a brawl involving eight people that broke out on the main gaming floor of a Cotai casino earlier this week.
Representatives of all six concessionaires met with the Macau Judicial Police (PSP) and the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) on Tuesday where the incident was discussed at length.
While the fight was quickly broken up by security, video footage went viral with PSP Deputy Commissioner Sou Sio Keong noting it reflected poorly on Macau’s image.
“Although the recent fight in the casino was quickly dealt with after police intervention, the incident reflects that there is room for improvement in corporate security and it is necessary to improve the emergency response mechanism in the casino,” he said.
Paulo Jorge Moreira Castelo Basaloco, head of the DICJ’s Gaming Inspection Department, said the regulator has taken measures to prohibit the persons involved in the fight from returning to Macau’s casino in accordance with the relevant legal provisions. All eight people involved have been banned from entering Macau.
“The DICJ urged the companies concerned to strengthen security, train their staff and prepare for any contingencies in response to the increased crowds in the casinos during the holidays,” Basaloco said.
At the meeting, the concessionaires pledged to strengthen security work, including increasing manpower and enhancing frontline security deployment in gaming areas, as well as improving the notification mechanism for alerting police and the DICJ.
