Macau casinos to close under No. 8 typhoon signal
Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) announced Monday that all casinos will shut once a No. 8 typhoon signal is hoisted, reversing an earlier stance that closures would only apply at higher levels. The government said that operators must ensure staff and patrons leave gaming establishments within two hours before the warning comes into effect.
The decision comes as Super Typhoon Ragasa approaches, with the Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau confirming on Tuesday morning that a No. 8 signal will be issued at 5 pm (UTC+08:00). The Bureau also forecast that a No. 9 signal has a high probability of being raised at midnight, with a relatively high chance of escalation to the maximum No. 10 warning in the early hours of Wednesday.
Government coordination and contingency plans
According to local media reports, the DICJ held an emergency meeting with the city’s six gaming concessionaires and the Labour Affairs Bureau. They reviewed the city’s disaster prevention and response plans. This includes focusing on ensuring the safe evacuation, safeguarding employees, and maintaining orderly procedures during the storm.
Secretary for Economy and Finance Tai Kin Yip emphasised that operators should take preparatory steps and adopt flexible staffing arrangements once the typhoon subsides, allowing workers to resume duties only when conditions are safe.
Earlier, Macau’s Chief Executive Sam Hou Fai convened a cross-departmental meeting at the Civil Protection Operations Centre to implement a three-stage contingency plan covering prevention, response, and recovery. Forecasts from mainland China and Hong Kong meteorological authorities suggest the super typhoon will pass within 100 kilometres of the city, and it is expected to bring destructive winds and heavy flooding.
Forecasted impact of Super Typhoon Ragasa
The Meteorological and Geophysical Bureau has already issued a No. 3 signal and announced that an orange storm surge warning will be issued at 1 pm on Tuesday, followed by a red storm surge warning later in the afternoon or evening. These warnings indicate a strong likelihood of coastal flooding.
Authorities warned that storm surges could raise water levels by nearly five metres, enough to inundate the first floors of many buildings. Ferry services and other transport links have already been suspended ahead of Ragasa’s landfall.
Historical precedent and typhoon preparedness
Casino closures during extreme weather remain rare but have been employed in the past. In September 2018, all casinos in the city shut for 33 hours during Super Typhoon Mangkhut, the first complete shutdown in history. In 2023, Typhoon Saola prompted a nine-hour closure, while pandemic-related suspensions led to casinos closing for 15 days in February 2020 and for one week in July 2022.
Macau’s early warning and civil protection system was strengthened after Typhoon Hato struck in August 2017, leaving 10 people dead, 244 injured, and causing economic losses of MOP$12.55 billion ($1.57 billion). The destruction forced power outages across the city’s casinos, halting operations.
Since then, authorities have placed greater emphasis on typhoon preparedness, codifying measures in a civil protection regime to coordinate responses between public institutions and the private sector.
