Macau gaming bill raises doubt on some Mocha slot halls

Macau’s gaming law amendment bill in likelihood puts some standalone slot parlours within the city in a similar position legally to so-called satellite casinos, two experts in local gaming regulation suggested to GGRAsia.

All of Macau’s six gaming concessionaires run “slot lounges”, with most of them housed within a casino, according to information available on the website of the local casino regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. But five such slot lounges – all under the Mocha Clubs brand – are classified by the regulator as slot parlours located outside casinos.

On the basis that the gaming law amendment bill “mandates that casinos shall be located in a property that is owned by the concessionaire, it is my opinion that this rule also applies to slot parlours,” said gaming law expert Carlos Lobo in comments to GGRAsia

António Lobo Vilela, a lecturer in gaming law at the University of Macau and former advisor to the local government, noted to GGRAsia that up to now, use of administrative regulation has permitted slot lounges to run in non-casino premises, but administrative regulation is outranked by statute law, including in this case, the new gaming law amendment. “

According to the hierarchy of the sources, administrative regulations cannot contravene laws… the space of the [gaming] machine parlours must be considered a casino,” said Mr Vilela.

Source: https://www.ggrasia.com/macau-gaming-bill-raises-doubt-on-some-mocha-slot-halls/