Gambling in Macau has been legal since the 1850s when the Portuguese government legalised the activity in the autonomous colony. Since then, Macau has become known worldwide as the 'Gambling capital of the world' or 'Monte Carlo of the East'. Gambling tourism is Macau's biggest source of revenue, making up about 50% of the economy. Step aside Las Vegas, Macau is now the world’s gambling mecca With more floor space than four Empire State Buildings, the planet’s largest casino and a vast leisure complex combining high-end restaurants, entertainment spaces and luxury retail, Macau’s Venetian is a thing of beauty. Mar 20, 2020 American casinos are in crisis as China bans tourism to gambling mecca Macau following two imported cases of the coronavirus in the city. A powerful typhoon caused at least three deaths Wednesday in Macau, according to local authorities in the Chinese gambling enclave. Typhoon Hato Batters Gambling Mecca of Macau Skip to main content.

Macau a gambling mecca. Posted on November 6, 2007. Julia dimon/for metro toronto. The Venetian in Macau is twice the size of its sister property in Las Vegas.

Economy of Macau
Currency and identity
Resources
Companies
Other Macau topics

Gambling in Macau has been legal since the 1850s when the Portuguese government legalised the activity in the autonomous colony. Since then, Macau has become known worldwide as the 'Gambling capital of the world'^[1]^[2] or 'Monte Carlo of the East'.

Gambling tourism is Macau's biggest source of revenue, making up about 50% of the economy. Visitors are made up largely of Chinese nationals from mainland China and Hong Kong. With the entry of large foreign casinos from Las Vegas and Australia, Macau overtook the Las Vegas Strip in gambling revenues in 2007.

Until Western-style casino games were introduced in the 20th century, only Chinese games were played, the most popular being Fan-Tan. Generally, gambling in Macau can be divided into one of four categories: casino games, greyhound racing, sports betting, and lotteries. At the present time, Macau does not license online gambling operations.

Macau, a special administrative region like Hong Kong, is the only place in China where casinos are legal, and the business has grown at an astounding pace since 2001, when the government ended the four-decade gambling monopoly of the Hong Kong billionaire Stanley Ho.

Macau is the pre-eminent gambling capital of the world, grossing the highest amount of gambling/gaming revenue and greatly dwarfing all the other gambling centers/cities.^[1]^[2]^[3]

History[edit]

Casinos in Macau

In an attempt to generate revenues for the government, gambling in Macau was legalized by the Portuguese government in 1849.^[4] In the late 19th century, the government introduced a licensing system for the fantan houses (Chinese gambling houses). It is reported that over 200 gambling houses were required to pay gambling rent to the government.^[5] The second casino monopoly concession was granted to the Tai Heng^[6] Company in 1937.^[7] The company was, however, too conservative to fully exploit the economic potential of gambling.

The industry saw a major breakthrough in 1962 when the government granted the monopoly rights to all forms of gambling to Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau (STDM), a syndicate jointly formed by Hong Kong and Macau businessmen. The STDM introduced western-style games and modernised the marine transport between Macau and Hong Kong, bringing millions of gamblers from Hong Kong every year.^[5] The license was extended in 1986 for another 15 years but expired at the end of 2001.

Macau was transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1999 and became a special administrative region of China. During this transition, there were no changes to gambling policy in Macau.^[8]

In 2002, the Macau government ended the monopoly system and granted 3 (later 6) casino operating concessions (and subconcessions) to: Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM, an 80% owned subsidiary of STDM), Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands, Galaxy Entertainment Group, the partnership of MGM Mirage and Pansy Ho Chiu-king, and the partnership of Melco and PBL. On 18 May 2004, the Sands Macau casino opened near the Macau Ferry Terminal. Today, there are 16 casinos operated by the STDM, and they are still crucial in the casino industry in Macau.

Economic aspects[edit]

Gold Bars at the Emperor Casino in Macau

The so-called 'Monte Carlo of the Orient', Macau's economy relies heavily on gambling. Nowadays, the gambling industry generates over 40% of the GDP of Macau. Since the early 1960s, around 50% of Macau's official revenue has been driven by gambling. The percentage remained steady until the late 1990s. In 1998, 44.5% of total government revenue was produced by the direct tax on gambling. Then there was a 9.1% decrease in 1999, probably due to internet gaming. After the handover of the Macau from Portugal to China, the SAR released gambling licenses to other companies in order to eliminate the monopoly played by the STDM. In 2002, the government signed concession contracts with two Macau gaming companies, Wynn Resort Ltd. and Galaxy Casino. This opened the gambling market for competition and increased government tax revenue significantly. It also attracted more tourists to Macau. At this moment, according to official statistics, gambling taxes form 70% of Macau's government income.^[9]

However, the gambling industry is also a source of instability in the Macau economy, as the nature of gambling business is not susceptible to technological advancement or productivity growth. The gambling business is still dependent on the prosperity of other Asian economies, especially that of China. Due to Xi Jinping's promise on cracking down of corruption across mainland China, casino profits from across Macau have been reporting a decline in monthly profits^[10] In addition, a proliferation of other gambling venues in the region is drawing the target demographic away. Macau's 2018 grew 13% over the prior year, but this lagged behind the 41% growth in emerging casino markets in Singapore, South Korea, the Philippines and Australia, according to Fitch Ratings. In 2019 casino earnings reached their lowest level in three years.^[11]

Gambling forms[edit]

Casinos[edit]

Macau has 41 casinos (as of 2019), of which the biggest is The Venetian Macao. Twenty-four casinos are located on the Macau Peninsula and 17 on Taipa Island or the Cotai Strip. They all operate under a government franchise and under a common set of rules.

The main casino operators in Macau are SJM Holdings, Galaxy Entertainment and Las Vegas Sands with respective revenues of 9.7, 4.8, and 4.2 billion in 2011.^[12]

A wide range of games are available, including roulette, blackjack, baccarat, boule, Sic bo, Fan Tan, keno and slot machines.

Poker was introduced only in August 2007, in an electronic table format at Galaxy Starworld casino. The first live poker tournament was the Asia Pacific Poker Tour Macau event in November 2007. Shortly thereafter, in January 2008, the government of Macau published the official rules for Texas hold 'em poker games in Macau. In February 2008, Grand Lisboa Casino added the first live-dealer cash game tables. In May 2008, 'PokerStars Macau' opened at Grand Waldo Casino. In November 2008, Texas Holdem' Poker opened at Wynn Macau. 'PokerStars Macau' moved to a new location at the Grand Lisboa Casino in March 2009. Today, Wynn Macau, StarWorld, and the Venetian offer live-dealer cash game poker tables.^[13] Previously, most casinos were non-smoking. This caused serious discontent from both operators and visitors. In 2019, the Chinese Ministry of Health allowed smoking in special rooms in most casinos. In February 2020, in connection with the spread of coronavirus, after a two-week break in the casino, a restriction was introduced.

Casino Lights in Macau

**List of Casinos in Macau**
Name	Opening Hours	Size	Special Features
Casino Lisboa	24 hours	107 slots and 146 table games (190,000 sq ft)	Hotel with 1,000 rooms and 6 restaurants
Casa Real Casino	24 hours	123 slots and 53 table games (36,000 sq ft)	Hotel with 381 rooms and 2 restaurants
Grandview Casino	24 hours	5

Gambling Mecca Macau