Macau casino junket operators hope to have their long-awaited debtor database up and running by New Year’s Day.

Speaking Wednesday at a Macao Gaming Show 2016 panel, Association of Gaming and Entertainment Promoters president Kwok Chi Chung said a plan had been worked out with the local government that wouldn’t break Macau’s strict data privacy laws.

Junkets, which are said to be struggling with billions in unrecoverable loans, have long sought a centralized database of gamblers in order to identify in advance those that have previously reneged on their debts. But previous attempts at public ‘naming and shaming’ of debtors has led to the arrest of website operators for violating Macau’s Data Protection Law.

On Wednesday, Kwok said agreement had been reached on a system in which data would only be accessible by Association members. Furthermore, credit markers issued by junkets would require gamblers’ approval of their information being saved in the database and shared among Association members.