The Macau Metro Monitor, December 27, 2011
CASINO SUES GAMBLER FOR MILLIONS South China Morning Post
MGM Macau is suing longtime VIP junket agent and North Korean tour operator Wong Sing-Wa for failing to repay HK$5.6MM (+18% interest) of a three-year-old, HK$10MM debt. According to a Hong Kong High Court writ filed on December 16, MGM China alleges Wong drew down a HK$10MM credit line and lost it all on the gambling tables on September 8, 2008.
Wong is "a VIP room operator, a suspected triad member and an individual with ties to North Korea", the attorney-general of the US state of New Jersey wrote in a 2009 regulatory report, citing a 2003 background memo authored by MGM Resorts' then head of corporate security. Wong has also reportedly been involved in the operations of the Pyongyang casino 100% owned by Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM). According to the 2009 New Jersey report, in January 2007, Wong accompanied Pansy Ho on a trip to Kazakhstan to explore gaming and non-gaming development possibilities on behalf of STDM and Shun Tak.
CASINO OPERATORS OBLIGED TO POST NO-SMOKING SIGNAGE IN PREMISES Macau Daily News
The new anti‐smoking rules will be effective beginning January 1, 2012. According to the law, premises operators must put up authorized no‐smoking signage inside their properties, otherwise they will face a fine of MOP 10,000 to MOP 100,000. Meanwhile, they are obliged to stop smoking in non‐smoking areas and are advised to remove all ashtrays and lighters in non‐smoking premises.
