The law passed a final vote by the Macau Legislative Assembly on 16 October and was officially signed by the President of the Legislative Assembly, Kou Hoi In, on 21 October. The bill was published has now been published Chief Executive in the Official Gazette and as per the provisions of the bill, will comes into force the day after the announcement.

The new Illegal Gaming Law regulates the code of conduct for the gaming industry, including the addition of a provision on “betting under the table”, which carries a maximum penalty of eight years’ imprisonment. The bill also stipulates that any person who bets in an illegal gambling activity is liable to a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment.

In addition, the bill introduces undercover investigations and night-time searches of evidence, thus expanding the scope for criminal investigation officers to enforce the law. Although some gaming industry members were sceptical and considered these provisions too stringent, the bill was eventually passed by the Legislative Assembly.

The most high-profile aspect of the legislation is the criminalization of “money exchange gangs”, with the law stipulating that any person who illegally exchanges currency for gambling purposes will be guilty of an offence and liable to a maximum penalty of five years’ imprisonment. The provisions of the Act are not only applicable to casinos, but the entire integrated resort areas of Macau’s concessionaires.

Macau’s Judiciary Police has pointed out that after the law comes into effect, they will have the legal basis and greater enforcement power to deal with money exchange gangs.