Macau casinos withhold 133 slot machine payouts claiming wins were due to 'mechanical errors'

The Macau government has brushed off calls for tighter casino controls, amid accusations that operators in the world's gaming capital are unfairly withholding prize money from winners.

The casinos have reportedly refused 133 gamblers their winnings, claiming that their wins are the result of "mechanical errors" - a practice critics say will deal a blow to Macau's tourism image.

In one case, Ip Choi-peng, 51, said he spent more than four million patacas on slot machines at MGM and The Venetian in April, but did not receive winnings totalling 20 million patacas, the Legislative Assembly heard.

"A layman wins but waits for three hours before he is told he won't get any money," lawmaker Jose Pereira Coutinho said yesterday.

"This is damaging to Macau's reputation."

Fellow legislator Au Kam-san argued that gamblers could not know if a machine was technically reliable before playing it.