Macau casino junket operators appear to have been blindsided by the local government’s recent decision to ban telephone aka ‘proxy’ betting at VIP gaming tables.

On Friday, Macau’s Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) confirmed rumors that casinos would no longer be able to offer proxy betting as of Monday (9). On Saturday, Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac said this step was taken “to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings or the risk of irregularities.”

Proxy betting involves a trusted intermediary sitting at a casino VIP table, relaying real-time card info to a gambler (usually) on the Chinese mainland, who in turn issues instructions on how much money to wager on a particular hand. The practice gained popularity as Beijing tightened controls on the flow of money and individuals to and from Macau.

Leong claimed that proxy betting had previously been made available to some registered VIPs, although he declined to specify with whom said VIPs had registered. Leong further claimed that the government had determined that a proxy betting ban “will not hurt the sustainable development of the gaming sector.”