In a reply to a legislator’s written enquiry, the government says it has handled a total of 18 cases related to illegal advertisement postings of gaming activities from the beginning of last year to the present, for which the total fines applied have amounted to only 30,000 patacas (US$3754.8). The figures were noted by the then-chief of public works Secretary’s office Mr. Wong Chan Tong in response to legislator Chan Meng Kam’s enquiry about illegal ads seen in the city encouraging access to online gaming websites. The reply, which was dated December 15, was only made public yesterday. As regulated by local law No. 7/89/M, advertisements that feature gaming activities as their main content are banned in the city. Violation of the rule can result in a fine of 2,000-12,000 patacas for an individual offender; or a fine of 5,000-28,000 patacas for a legal person that violates the rule. In the reply to Mr. Chan’s enquiry, Mr. Wong Chan Tong said that the government had launched a total of 18 cases investigating illegal advertisements related to promoting gaming activities in the past two years, delivered via mobile phone junk messages and banners posted outside residential buildings. The reply stated that administrative penalties, of which the total fines amounted to 30,000 patacas, had already been applied regarding illegal postings that involved “several gaming venues, telecommunication companies and transporation companies”. Business Daily has approached Macau Economic Service – the department responsible for regulating advertisement activities – for more information on the penalties applied to the offenders as mentioned by Mr. Wong but had not received a reply by the time the story went to press. ‘Targeting the outdoor gaming advertisements seen recently, the Economic Service has already sent staff to check on cars [that have illegal advertisement postings on them] travelling in the Border Gate district, the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal, the exit of the Friendship Bridge at Taipa side and in St Paul Ruins’, Mr. Wong wrote. ‘The government will definitely exercise a penalty for any cases of violation’. In a joint action with the Zhuhai police and Bureau of Telecommunications Regulation, Judiciary Police arrested four mainland Chinese in the Border Gate district in early November for the crime of sending junk mobile phone messages promoting online gambling websites to people crossing the Zhuhai-Macau border. According to the police at the time, the charges laid against the four arrested mainland Chinese from Fujian Province included the improper use of computer data and involvement in a criminal gang.
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