With a smoking ban in place, the Health Bureau of Macau has been very busy this year prosecuting illegal smokers, especially in casino venues. The Bureau has announced that this year alone, they have already prosecuted 244 people who were smoking in local casinos illegally. According to figures, over 70% of those smoking illegally were tourists to the region.

After 261 inspections of local casinos by the Health Bureau and the Gaming Inspection and Co-ordination Bureau, from January of July 2015, 244 individuals were found to be smoking illegally and have been prosecuted.

Of the 244, 190 were tourists, accounting for just over 77% of those found in violation of the smoking laws. 53 individuals were local residents and one individual was a non-resident employee of a gaming venue.

The currently tobacco control laws ban smoking on the gaming floors of local casinos. Indoor restaurants, bars, discos, saunas and karaoke venues are also included in the ban. The casinos only play a small role in the amount of people prosecuted for smoking illegally. When inspections were conducted in additional venues, just over 4,100 individuals were prosecuted for illegal smoking.