Secretary for Economy and Finance, Mr Tam Pak Yuen, revealed today that the Government has in place a surveillance system to continuously monitor all possible illegal activities in casinos.

And diverse contingency plans are in place, ready to be implemented whenever needed, to strengthen this government supervision, he said.

Speaking in response to recent reports about the intention of China UnionPay to tighten measures against illegal use of credit cards in casinos, Mr Tam has reiterated in a media interview that the government departments concerned have always had the situation under supervision and will continue to pay close attention to all market movements and take all necessary and appropriate action.

However, no action is currently planned nor has notice been given regarding enforcement of any measures on 1 July.

Mr Tam observed that China UnionPay said in an earlier statement that UnionPay credit cards have always been prohibited from use in casinos. The government will closely monitor the development of the situation and strengthen surveillance and supervision.