Macau and Taiwan schools cooperate on casino training projects

As Taiwan gears up to allow casino gambling on the Penghu islands, institutions from Macau were entering the training market in the country.

At the opening of the college’s gambling education center Monday, Vice President Chiu Shao-yi said most of the tour guides who graduated from his school had no knowledge of gambling operations and therefore needed to take the new classes.

However, he added that the school didn’t want to promote gambling as such, and had thus restricted the number of students who could take the classes. A representative from the GGRC said his organization would cooperate with other Taiwanese schools as well, though the viability of the sector would eventually depend on how many licenses the government issued for official croupiers.

The college said 25 students had paid the full fee of nearly us$ 3,051 for the study program because they were confident it would be easy to find a casino job as croupier with a starting salary of us$ 1,525 a month.

The courses included both theory and practical elements such as different card games, the college said. Only participation in the closing exams would allow the graduates to find work in the sector.

After years of controversy, Taiwan approved casino gambling last year, but only to help stimulate the economy of its outlying islands. Penghu will host the first-ever legal casino in Taiwan if its residents approve the move in a referendum expected later this year.

Opponents of casinos have expressed fears that they will attract organized crime and prostitutes, while causing social problems because of increased gambling addiction.