China's Gambling Paradise: Macau

Macau casinos are distinct for their peaceful atmosphere. By 2009, Macau Casinos are expected to pull in more than US$5 billion annually - more than Las Vegas. Macau resorts, hotels and casinos are quickly becoming some of the main Macau attractions.

Triad involvement in Macau casinos makes a serious social impact on the local area. Gambling being legal in Macau, Casinos offer great entertainment to the connoisseurs. For four decades, the city's economy has been dominated by Hong Kong tycoon Stanley Ho, octogenarian owner of the Lisboa and 15 other Macau casinos. The first thing many people notice about Macau China is how clean it is. I heard recently that Macau Casinos have overtaken Las Vegas as the gambling capital of the world.

Almost all Macau casinos open 24 hours. Wynn Casino is one of the new casinos in Macau. Macau is already the biggest single gambling market in the world. While most Macau casinos cram as many baccarat and other gaming tables as possible into their available space, Wynn gives his customers room to breathe. What is different between the Macau casinos and Las Vegas casinos is the glitzy atmosphere. Macau's casinos are geared to Asian gamblers, so most tables are dedicated to baccarat, fan-tan, and Asian dice games. Shiny surfaces, machine jingles, alarm bells, bustling restaurants and high-end fashion boutiques fill the new-Macau casinos. Macau's casinos offer the largest variety of casino games anywhere in the world, combining both established western favorites with popular eastern games. Macau's casinos are just 60km west of Hong Kong, and they attract Hong Kong gamblers -- who have no casinos at home -- in droves. Till recently, billionaire Stanley Ho, who runs the Lisboa Casino, has had a monopoly in the relatively autonomous Chinese protectorate.