Betting on growth
Las Vegas has been dethroned as the world's biggest casino centre
IT IS a typical Friday evening in Macau and three women are singing on stage at the Las Vegas Sands Casino in front of an audience of thousands. But no one is listening. Everyone is jammed around the 800 tables, focused on the flip of cards, the spin of the roulette wheel or the roll of dice. Opened in May 2004 with 360 tables, the casino has been expanding ever since and is now the largest under one roof in the world. It is just one of many new casinos in Macau. In September another Las Vegas operator, Steve Wynn, opened a casino aimed at a slightly wealthier clientele; it was followed in October by the Galaxy, intended for a less affluent crowd. According to figures released this week, Macau's gambling receipts increased by 22% in 2006 to reach 55.9 billion patacas ($6.95 billion), placing Macau just ahead of the Las Vegas strip, previously the global leader.
This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “Betting on growth”
From the January 27th 2007 edition
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