{"id":82317,"date":"2018-06-30T12:00:36","date_gmt":"2018-06-30T19:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/?p=82317"},"modified":"2018-06-29T16:34:52","modified_gmt":"2018-06-29T23:34:52","slug":"macau-casino-crisis-shut-down-protocol-proposed-under-new-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/macau-casino-crisis-shut-down-protocol-proposed-under-new-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Macau Casino Crisis Shut Down Protocol Proposed Under New Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

The highest authority in Macau could soon be granted executive powers to shut down the gambling hub\u2019s casinos in times of crisis.<\/p>\n

\"Typhoon
Last year’s Typhoon Hato’s devastation — which impacted Macau’s gaming industry severely — is one impetus behind a new emergency protocol bill in the gambling hub. (Image: Antonio Mil-Homens\/EPA)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On Thursday, the Macau government launched a public consultation on a new civil protection draft bill. The aim of the bill is to help the government to respond more efficiently to \u201cunforeseen public incidents\u201d and natural disasters.<\/p>\n

It would give the chief executive of Macau the right to pull the plug on gambling operations when the going gets tough. Chief executive is the highest political position in the Chinese autonomous special administrative region. Since 2009, it has been occupied by Fernando Chui.<\/p>\n

The move comes as a direct response to Typhoon Hato — a category ten storm that battered the enclave in August last year — for which the casino sector, the government, and weather forecasters were woefully unprepared.<\/p>\n

Typhoon Hato Shocked Macau<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With wind speeds of 124 miles per hour, it was the strongest storm to hit Macau in 53 years.\u00a0 Macau\u2019s Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau failed to classify the storm as a maximum category ten typhoon until it was too late.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Hato caused causing severe flooding and widespread disruption to water and electricity supplies, as well as damage to infrastructure that severely disrupted the enclave\u2019s tourism industry. More than 200 people were injured.<\/p>\n

At the time, The South China Morning Post<\/em> described a \u201ctrail of destruction\u2026 with streets filled with massive piles of rubbish, dead fish, furniture, torn down billboards and scaffolding, as several uprooted trees and shuttered windows still lay on the streets on [more than 24 hours later].\u201d<\/p>\n

Macau\u2019s residents complained about slow rescue operations and a lack of contingency planning from government officials. Meanwhile, more than half of Macau\u2019s hotels were still without power or water the day after the Hato hit, and many casinos were closed, or partially closed. But several soldiered on.<\/p>\n

Macau Casinos Employee Protests<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Casino employees\u00a0organised public demonstrations<\/a> to protest that they had been required to attend work, despite the perilous conditions, and many were docked wages for being late or absent.<\/p>\n

\n

In the storm\u2019s aftermath, Macau\u2019s Commission Against Corruption (CCAC) launched an investigation to determine whether the meteorological bureau had delayed issuing a category 10 warning to protect the casinos\u2019 revenues.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

It ultimately concluded the bureau did not violate the law, but bureau chief Fong Soi Kun resigned after a public apology for the bureau\u2019s failure to ensure residents were protected.<\/p>\n

Under the new proposal, power to shut down Macau\u2019s casinos in extreme circumstances would only be exercised by the chief executive and could not be delegated to other officials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The highest authority in Macau could soon be granted executive powers to shut down the gambling hub\u2019s casinos in times of crisis. On Thursday, the Macau government launched a public consultation on a new civil protection draft bill. The aim of the bill is to help the government to respond more efficiently to \u201cunforeseen public […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":82375,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,18,61],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMacau Casino Crisis Shut Down Protocol Proposed Under New Bill<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Macau is proposing to allow the enclave\u2019s highest power, the chief executive, to close down Macau casinos during \u201cunforeseen public incidents.\u201d The move is a response to criticism of authorities and the casinos' reactions to 2017's Typhoon Hato.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Macau Casino Crisis Shut Down Protocol Proposed Under New 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