If I told you to think of the symbolic city of gambling you would probably all think of Las Vegas. As absurd as it may seem, however, in recent years a city on the other side of the Pacific Ocean has been gaining more and more ground: Macau, in China. Located on the Pearl River Delta, which divides it from Hong Kongthis urban center has seen incredibly rapid development in recent decades, so much so overcome Las Vegas by far in terms of monthly receipts. But how is the city structured? And how did she get so rich?
How gambling works in Macau
Unlike Las Vegas, where the casinos are concentrated almost exclusively along the famous Stripin Macau they exist two distinct ways related to gambling. The first is the Cotai Striplocated within a reclaimed area between the islands of Taipa and Coloane and connected via various bridges to the Macau peninsula. The latter is the most historic part of the city, where some of the most iconic casinos like the Sands or the Grand Lisbon, recognizable by its lotus flower shape.
Along the Cotai Strip instead some are placed among the most modern casinoslike the VenetianThe Galaxy or the Londoner. As can be deduced from the names, these structures have a strong Western appeal – also the result of the recent past former Portuguese colonygiven that the territory came under the control of China only in 1999.
Among other things, it was the Portuguese who make gambling legal already around the mid-nineteenth century, so much so that even today this is the only place in the country where it is possible to practice it legally: this is undoubtedly one of the key factors in understanding the extraordinary success of Macau in the last twenty years.
Currently the most popular game of all is the baccarat, although in recent years they have also become increasingly popular slot machines. These initially met with little success, at least until traditional symbols such as diamonds And cherries have been replaced with images more similar to the local culture, such as dragons And flowers.
The numbers of Chinese Las Vegas
According to what was reported by the sector portal Gambling Insiderthe casinos of Macau generate a much higher income than that of Las Vegas: we are talking about an average of around 2 billion dollars a monthcompared to approx Nevada’s 1.4 billion. It has even been observed that the month of October is the most profitable month by far, with receipts equal to 2.57 billion dollars: these are enormous figures and possible thanks to the presence of local holidays which allow for a greater flow of customers.
Warning: does this mean that Macau is “stealing” customers from Las Vegas? Actually no: Macau frequents almost exclusively middle-upper class Chinesewhile Las Vegas caters to a wider audience and – on average – less wealthy. This is also the reason why the basic bet in Macau is higher. It is also good to keep in mind that various casinos and hotels built in Macau in the last twenty years are actually by companies that operate mainly in Las Vegas, such as Wynn Resorts el’MGM Resorts.
