Macau casinos fume as China's gamblers puff away elsewhere

Hong Kong

MACAU'S casinos and gambling trip organisers are fuming over a proposed smoking ban there. Singa-pore's puffing gamblers show why.

Smoking has been prohibited for almost a year in Macau casinos' mass gambling floors, with the exception of a handful of designated lounges, where visitors huddle around ashtrays in glass-walled rooms during hurried gambling breaks. In contrast, smokers can light up at gaming tables and slot machines on the bottom floor of Singapore's Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino. They can even stay seated while hostesses sell them packs of Marlboro or Dunhill cigarettes for S$17.

A bill being considered by Macau legislators to fully outlaw smoking in casinos promises to set the city's 35 betting parlours further apart from rivals in Singapore and other Asian gaming destinations. While a blanket ban would be a victory for public health, Macau businesses relying on Chinese high-stakes bettors say it will be another blow to casino operators that have lost US$113 bill…