Not long ago, the restriction for smoking within Macau-based casino premises was a subject to fierce disputes and disagreements. The majority of market analysts kept reminding that the situation with the revenues is not too optimistic anyway so there is no need for imposing a full smoking ban, which will make things even worse and will keep players away from non-smoking casinos.
However, the senior executive of SJM Holdings, Ambrose So Shu Fai, said that even if the government imposes a full smoking ban, there is a chance for smoking lounges, situated on the main floors of the casinos, to be preserved and to continue functioning.
The executive of SJM commented on the matter in an interview for local media and said that according to him, smoking lounges can be established regardless of the ban imposed.
Two weeks ago, the Secretariat for Social Affairs and Culture revealed government’s intention to forbid smoking inside casinos. The ban will most probably be put into force next year.
Mr. So supported his standpoint with an example and said that the airports in Macau and Hong Kong have their smoking lounges, despite the full smoking ban. In conclusion, Mr. So said that non-smokers are not likely to be affected by the habits of smokers, provided that these special lounges are available.
Last but not least, SJM’s executive put emphasis on the necessity of respecting smokers’ habits and recommended efficient methods for dealing with the problematic revenues. He suggested cutting down on expenses related to promotions instead of laying off experienced employees.
Needless to say, the implementation of the smoking ban attracted a lot of opponents who took imminent actions towards validating the proposal as soon as possible.
Macau Federation of Trade Unions, which can take pride in being a respected organization in the region, even started collecting signatures with the aim of submitting a petition to the government and urging the authorities to impose a smoking ban on the casino floors even before 2016.
Smoking lounges were established at casinos last year when the government prohibited smoking on the main floors of all casinos in Macau. However, VIP rooms were not affected by the law and VIP players were allowed to smoke inside the rooms.
In case the new proposal passes and smoking is restricted in both the mass market area and the VIP rooms, market analysts predict that instead of improvement, revenues will undergo further decline of approximately 15%.
