Macau’s gambling regulator, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ, for its Portuguese acronym), might be considering a revolutionary step forward for the city’s gaming industry. Bloomberg has gotten word from several casino operators in Macau that have been contacted by the DICJ to pursue the possibility of introducing China’s upcoming cryptocurrency, the digital yuan, to the gaming space and making it the city’s base currency. So far, the idea is being met with mixed results.

China officially made its digital yuan legal tender when it updated the country’s financial laws at the end of October. It has already begun testing the feasibility of real-world use of the central bank digital currency (CBDC), and has been running pilot programs in areas like Shenzhen and Suzhou. Shenzhen is located in the Guangdong province, which is an important access point for travelers to Macau and Hong Kong. Suzhou is close to Shanghai and is a major economic hub in the country.

It isn’t clear how any digital yuan program would work in Macau. There are reports that the DICJ doesn’t want to allow certain digital wallets to be accepted for use on casino gaming floors, but there would have to be some type of wallet permitted. More than likely, only a state-issued, registered wallet would be allowed. 

Macau runs off Hong Kong dollars, for the most part, and introducing the digital yuan would give Chinese high rollers the ability to avoid having to convert their Chinese currency to the alternative. This could potentially reduce the number of currency conversion scams in the city and make it safer for gamblers, who could avoid carrying large amounts of cash they intend to swap for HK dollars. However, not everyone believes it’s a good idea.