Macau is investigating alleged entry fees into Venetian Macao while banning sales of Mark Six lottery tickets. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

Macau officials get busy

Authorities in China’s Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Macau have announced an investigation into alleged entry fees into Venetian Macao.

According to the Macau News Agency, a trending thread posted to the Chinese equivalent of Instagram over the weekend stated that MOP200 (US$25) was required to gain entry to Venetian Macao.

alleged casino entry charge levied upon bettors arriving on group tours

As of Tuesday morning, the post had attracted over 530 comments and spurred Macau’s Government Tourism Office (MGTO) to commit to probing the alleged casino entry charge levied upon bettors arriving on group tours.

In another gaming twist for Macau, the recently passed gambling crimes bill has an immediate impact on one of the oldest institutions in the SAR. News emerged over the weekend that sales of tickets for the Mark Six lottery run by the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) will result in fines or a maximum of two years in prison.

Lottery ban, alleged casino scam

The Mark Six lottery sale ban will directly affect family-run and small to medium businesses, and by extension, the HKJC. 

Macau lawmaker Ron Lam argued that Mark Six lottery tickets were “often sold by small local shops that did not engage in organized illegal operations.” Macau’s Government Secretary for Administration and Justice André Cheong Weng Chon, however, overruled Lam, stating a ban was needed “to prevent young people from easily accessing lottery tickets.”

The ban has already snared a married couple after they were found selling 58 Mark Six tickets at their corner shop. According to Focus Asia Pacific, the couple has allegedly made MOP1,960 ($245) in profits since the pair started selling the HKJC lottery tickets in February. 

Also on Macau’s hot topics list is the alleged Venetian Macao entry fee scam. Director of MGTO Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes told the media Sunday she was aware of the allegations and that investigations were underway.

Macau travel agencies may have been spreading misinformation

Fernandes’ comments suggest her organization believes that Macau travel agencies may have been spreading misinformation. If this is the case, Fernandes warned, “fines will be imposed as a primary punishment.”

The MGTO head added the censure “could potentially impact” travel agencies wishing to renew their licenses. Plus, Fernandes said, unauthorized tour guides found to have been involved would incur separate penalties. 

Low-budget tours in spotlight

According to Macau Business, the MGTO head urged travelers to avoid low-budget tours, which she attributed as the source of such long-running issues like the alleged Venetian Macao scam. 

Such tours to Macau are mostly routed from the mainland China province of Guangdong.

A Legislative Assembly committee is mulling new legislation aimed at combatting the “zero-cost” tours, with operators facing penalties from MOP50,000 ($6,218) to MOP70,000 ($8,741). The discounted tours often depend on visitors making purchases to generate commissions, which, according to media reports, “could result in coerced purchases or even disputes during the process.”