Hundreds of MGM China Holdings casino employees protested on Sunday, demanding pay increases and changes to the company's bonus policy.
MGM Resorts International, a U.S.-based casino operator, operates MGM China, which operates the casino hotel MGM Macau (pictured) on the Macau Peninsula. The company is building a new casino resort in Kotai, Macau's answer to the Las Vegas Strip.
The protest was formally requested by MGM China's staff group and supported by the frontline of labor activist group Macau Games. Organizers said around 500 people took part in the protest, with police taking the tally to 240.
Workers demanded equal pay for equal work, saying several dealers were under supervision but were not paid accordingly. There have also been calls for an outright ban on smoking inside casinos. Macau has been enacting a ban on smoking in casinos since Oct. 6, but only in large floor areas.
Protesters held small marches around MGM Macau and delivered letters to company representatives. Protest organizers said they would consider organizing new demonstrations during the National Day "Golden Week" holiday, which begins on Oct. 1 if their demands were not met, and that it was traditionally a peak season for Macau's casino industry.
On Sept. 15, MGM China's group of about 200 casino employees met with representatives from the city's Bureau of Labor to complain about the company's wage and benefits policies.
The frontline of the Macau game has organized several worker protests since July over issues related to wages and working conditions in the Macau casino industry.
Last month, a march was held for all six casino operators. The group estimated around 7,000 people participated in the protest, but police counted around 1,400 people in attendance. Five recent frontrunners in the Macau game were charged with aggravated disobedience during the protests. At a press conference last week, the group's management said its members had now felt threatened by the police. 프라그마틱 슬롯 사이트
Other individual game operators, including Sands China Ltd, Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd, and SJM Holdings Ltd, have also been targeted by protests hosted or supported by the group.