The Sands Macau casino must pay a HK$740,000(US$95,000) jackpot to the mother of an underage girl who won the money earlier this week while playing a slot machine at the casino, gaming regulators in Macau have said.

However, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau also barred the mother from entering any of the enclave’s casinos – for a period yet to be determined – as a punishment for taking her 16-year-old daughter to the casino.

Anyone under 18 is not allowed in gaming areas.

The mother was also give a verbal warning while being told of the decision.

Announcing the decision Friday, bureau director Manuel Joaquim das Neves said the authorities were satisfied that no fraud was involved in claiming the jackpot, and that the Sands had failed to conduct a proper age check in the first place. The bureau has written to the Sands asking it to pay the jackpot amount to the girl’s guardian, das Neves said.

Meanwhile, all casinos in Macau have been reminded to take strict measures to prevent underage people from entering gaming venues in future, he added.

The incident began when the girl was playing the slot machines with her mother and grandmother at the Sands casino Tuesday. After placing HK$100 into a machine, it stopped on the grand prize.

However, the casino refused to pay and they were ejected from the premises when it was discovered that the girl was underage.

The family insisted on being paid which led to the bureau’s intervention.

Source | The Standard

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