A total of 283 requests for exclusion from Macau’s casinos were received by the city authorities in the first nine months of 2017, nearly 10 percent more than the 258 exclusion requests in the same period last year, according to the latest data released by the city’s casino regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau.
A total of 240 people applied for the Macau government’s self-exclusion programme during January to September this year, while a further 43 exclusions were applied for by third parties, such as family members, said the bureau.
There were a total of 104 exclusion requests in the quarter ending September 30 – with 91 of them made voluntarily by individuals, and 13 via third parties.
According to the existing rules, all applicants must agree in writing to be added to the exclusion list, regardless of whether they apply directly or the request is made by a third party.
Any person can apply to be excluded from entering casinos in Macau. The maximum exclusion period is two years but it can be extended. The applicant can apply for exclusion from all or just some casinos.
The number of casino exclusion requests in Macau has been increasing every year until 2015 since the scheme was introduced in November 2012. In 2016, a total of 351 requests for casino exclusion were filed, representing a slight year-on-year decrease of 1.1 percent.
