A new bill against illegal gaming passed its first reading in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, despite lawmakers raising questions about its practical feasibility.
Under-the-table betting (also known as side betting or multipliers) will be officially considered illegal under this bill.
Meanwhile, covert operations are possible in tackling illegal gambling. However, the details of the application will only be confirmed at a subsequent follow-up meeting.
“Macau is small, so we basically know each other. Regarding covert operations, it will be applied with great care,” Administrative and Attorney General Chung Wen-chung said after introducing the bill. promised.
Online gambling is also a range of activities that authorities aim to eradicate.
“The law we apply was enacted in 1996. Macau’s gaming industry is developing in a ‘tremendous’ way,” he told lawmakers. “The way gaming activities are run is much different than before.”
“This law ‘obviously’ combats online gambling, which did not exist at the time,” he added. “We would first have to define such activities as illegal and then rely on mutual legal assistance from other countries.”
However, he acknowledged that it would be difficult to pre-empt all potential crimes using new legal tools.
“We won’t be able to crack down on all the cases, but at least we will be able to take action,” Chong said.
