Macau - The Monte Carlo of the Orient

Macau is a small territory on the southern coast of China, where gambling is the main tourist attraction.

History of Gambling in Macau

People have been coming to Macau to gamble for years. In 1847 while under the colonial rule of Portugal, gambling was first legalized on the shores of Macau.

During the 1900s the gaming industry continued to flourish but it was not until 1999, when the handover of the territory back to the Chinese government took place, that Macau started experiencing the staggering growth which it is currently enjoying. In 2002, a 40-year state monopoly ended which paved the way for massive private investment in casino development and the reshaping of Macau as a primary gambling destination of Asia. There are currently more than a dozen 24-hour casinos in Macau with several more scheduled to open this year and next.

The success of the new venture has been staggering. To the surprise of many, last year the eastern gambling mecca of Macau generated more revenue than all of the casinos of Las Vegas combined. This is mainly due to the well-known fact that the Chinese love to gamble. In fact, over 90% of the 19 million annual visitors to Macau casinos come from mainland China and Hong Kong.

Types of Gambling

There are three main forms of legalized gambling in Macau: casinos games, horse-racing, and greyhound-racing. The casinos are scattered throughout the territory's three major islands, the horse-racing track can be found on the island of Taipa, and the greyhound track (the Canindrome) is located on the main peninsula.

Facts about Macau

Official Name: Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
Official Language(s): Portuguese, Chinese
Population: 460,000
Population Density: 17,500/km² - Macau is the most densely populated region in the world!

The King of Gambling

Stanley Ho is a famous Hong Kong entrepreneur and is known in Macau as ""the King of Gambling"". He controlled the state-sanctioned monopoly in Macau for 35 years before it was handed over to the Chinese government by the Portuguese in 1999. He is easily the wealthiest man in Macau and heavily responsible for many of the gambling developments which have taken place there over the years.

The largest and best-known casino in Macau is the Hotel Lisboa, which was built in the late 1960s. It is an enormous complex with over 1000 rooms and even more currently being constructed. The opening of the Hotel Lisboa heralded a new age in gaming in Macau and since then the area has been known as ""the Monte Carlo of the Orient"". For more information regarding a holiday to Macau, visit the Macau tourism portal located here.