On February 24, 2007, a casino gaming facility located in Macau was ordered to give a slot machine jackpot prize of over $100,000, which was won by a 16 year old girl from Hong Kong, to her mother. The Sands Casino in Macau refused to give the $100,000 to the girl since she is a minor.
Nonetheless, the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau has commanded Sands Macau to still pay the jackpot but not to the 16 year old. According to the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau Director, Manuel Joaquim das Neves, they have decided that the money has to be paid to the girl’s mother. The Gaming Bureau commented that there may be a required age for entering a casino, but there is no required age for gambling.
The girl from Hong Kong received a total of $12 to play at the slot machines in the casinos from her grandmother as a New Year’s gift. She then decided to put it all in the slot machines and won the jackpot prize. The girl’s mother and grandmother of the girl were present in the casino.
The Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau has decided to prohibit the mother from entering any gambling casinos in Macau, as a result of bringing her daughter, a minor, to the casino.
March 18, 2007
