Casino revenues in Macau dropped by 20% in June, when compared with May’s figures, due to casino goers preferring to bet on the World Cup. Reports issued this month have revealed that revenue dropped to 13.6 billion patacas (approximately £1.5 billion), when compared with’ May’s figure, of 17.1 billion patacas. Karen Tang, an analyst at Deutsch Bank, has suggested that revenue in Macau’s casinos will continue to be hit “as the World Cup approaches its final stages”. However, Tang also noted that it’s likely revenue will increase once again in August, “which is traditionally the summer travel season”. After news was released of the gambling revenue decrease, the share prices of Macau casino operators dropped. In particular, SJM Holdings, the company behind several casinos in Macau, share price dropped by 6.7%.

While certain forms of gambling, such as sports betting, are illegal in China, it’s believed that football fans eager to wager on the outcome of the World Cup have been placing bets through gambling rings. In June, China’s anti-gambling police unit arrested a gambling ring which had taken over HK$100 million (pound;7.9 million) in bets on the World Cup. Police have also arrested other, smaller gambling rings, which have netted millions of pounds from the World Cup.

                          

Macau is only the start: all Asia is coming out to play

LIKE its sister property in Las Vegas but twice as large, the Venetian Macao is built for MICE—meetings, incentives, conventions (or conferences) and exhibitions. It has 3,000 hotel suites, a 15,000-seat arena that has hosted concerts by Lady Gaga and the Police, expensive shops and restaurants and a warren of immense gaming rooms. Next door is the Plaza Macao, featuring yet more gaming, shops and spas, as well as a Four Seasons hotel and the grand residential Plaza Mansions.

Mr Adelson, the owner of the complex, rejects the traditional “hub and spokes” casino-hotel design that forces guests to pass through the gaming floor to do anything outside their hotel room, just in case they feel a sudden urge to chuck some money into a slot machine. His Plaza Macao has a separate entrance to the Mansions and Four Seasons, a long way from the gaming floor. This is for the benefit of Chinese government officials, who may not be photographed in a gambling environment.

Macau is the world’s biggest gambling market, and until 2001 it was entirely controlled by one company, Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau (STDM), headed by Stanley Ho. Mr Ho’s garish pair of casinos, the flagship Casino Lisboa and the newer Grand Lisboa, remain the most prominent gambling establishment in central Macau, but he now faces stiff competition from a pair of seasoned Las Vegas companies, Wynn Resorts and Sands China, a subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands, as well as China’s Galaxy Entertainment Group.

The contrast between Mr Ho’s flagships illustrates the way that Macau’s gambling market has evolved. Casino Lisboa is small, tightly packed, loud and smoky. Nearly all of the gaming floor is taken up by tables offering Macau’s two most popular games: baccarat—in which punters bet on the turn of a card—and sic bo, in which they bet on the value of three rolled dice. Both involve about as much skill as betting on coin flips. The Grand Lisboa, by contrast, has craps and blackjack tables, a poker room, a sports book, a number of restaurants ranging from the upmarket to an excellent noodle shop, and hundreds of slot machines. However, on a recent visit the sportsbook stood empty and unattended; a single poker table was occupied; blackjack action was scant; four employees stood around a craps table enticing passers-by to try their luck. By contrast baccarat and sic bo were going at full tilt. Old gambling habits die hard.

The competition from Messrs Adelson and Wynn ended Mr Ho’s monopoly (though his company still accounts for about one-third of the territory’s gambling market) and boosted Macau’s overall revenue. Last year the island’s 30-odd casinos generated income of around $15 billion. According to GBGC, a consultancy that specialises in the gambling industry, its overall gambling revenue in that year rose by nearly 10%, whereas North America’s fell by 7% and Europe’s by 12%. And Macau is going from strength to strength: in the first quarter of 2010 its gambling revenues were 57% up on a year earlier.

Mainlanders’ playground

The Chinese are known as passionate gamblers, and Macau is where they come to play. Steve Jacobs, the head of Sands China, reckons that four-fifths of his visitors hail from the mainland and the rest mainly from other Asian countries, notably Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam and India. Most of the Venetian Macao’s revenue comes from wealthy guests, many of whom are on junkets organised by businesses in China that market them to visitors, plan the travel and extend credit to gamblers. The casinos provide the gaming and generally split the proceeds with the junket operators.

Chinese visiting rights, however, are tightly controlled by the government. Mainlanders need a visa to go to Macau, and the authorities are apt to change the frequency and duration of permitted visits on a whim. Last year, after a number of embarrassing stories about government officials using public funds to bet in Macau, mainlanders were limited to one visit every three months. Even so, Mr Jacobs said that visa restrictions are “one of the things I think least about”: the Chinese government is clearly happy maintaining Macau as a source of steady gambling revenue, close to but politically separate from the mainland. And with a population of over 1 billion, mainland China has enough people to keep the visitors coming despite the restrictions.

In fact, Macau draws so many punters that casinos are literally rising from the sea: the Venetian and the Plaza anchor a development known as the Cotai Strip, built on a five-kilometre piece of reclaimed land that links the two Macanese islands of Coloane and Taipa. The “Cotai” part of the new plot’s name comes from the first syllables of the two islands; the Strip part of it is clearly meant to evoke Las Vegas. Galaxy opened the Grand Waldo, the first resort there, in 2006; the Venetian and Plaza followed soon after and will be joined by two more Sands developments. There will also be new hotels from Raffles, Conrad, Hilton, Sheraton, Swissotel and St Regis.

Busting out all over

The Cotai Strip may be the most high-profile gambling development in Asia, but there are plenty of others. In the past few months Singapore has seen the opening of two large integrated resorts, Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands, which cost about $10 billion. The Philippines Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) has launched a hotel-and-casino complex on a large chunk of reclaimed land in Manila Bay. According to PAGCOR, its partners in the venture—Australia’s Bloomsbury Investments, Malaysia’s Genting Group and Aruze, a Japanese company known mainly for its pachinko and slot machines—each stand ready to invest $2 billion-3 billion in the venture.

In 2008 the government of Vietnam granted Asian Coast Development, a Canadian company, the right to construct five integrated resorts on 169 hectares of beachfront land near Ho Chi Minh City. The first of them, the MGM Grand Ho Tram, is scheduled to open in 2013. In Bavet, Cambodia, south-east of Phnom Penh, the $100m Titan King Casino opened in February this year. It joins a number of other Cambodian casinos near the country’s borders with Vietnam and Thailand. In Japan the only legal forms of gambling at the moment are pachinko, the lottery and horseracing, but that could soon change. Mr Jacobs predicts that if the Japanese market were to open up, it would be five to ten times the size of Macau’s.

Yet many Asian governments, for all their eagerness to get their hands on more tax revenue, still remain ambivalent about gambling. Singapore charges its own citizens S$100 ($72) to enter its casinos but foreigners pay nothing. Only one of South Korea’s 14 casinos is open to the locals. Egyptian and North Korean casinos too will happily take foreigners’ money yet bar their own citizens. China rations mainlanders’ access to Macau. On the Chinese mainland the only legal form of gambling is a thriving lottery.

Published at The Economist, direct link http://www.economist.com/node/16507748?story_id=16507748

                          

It features a spectacular casino and a night club as main attractions. It presents an Italian-like style and design. Lots of interesting and exciting recreational facilities.

Located in the center of Macau, this four star hotel features 449 rooms with 64 impressive suites and one Presidential Suite for distinguished guests.

Its location is very close to the Hong Kong-Macau Ferry Terminal and the international airport is reachable by car. Every room is fully equiped with the latest in hi-tech, including wireless Internet and LCD TVs.

Among its dining facilities are its classy restaurants offering Western, Chinese and Japanese specialties.

Guests can enjoy visiting the spa and fitness center, and indoor swimming pool and the gym. Conference rooms are also available.

In what comes to gambling, Rio Casino and Hotel offers a unique gaming alternative at his Italian-stlye decor rooms, featuring 80 table games, 150 slot machines and 4 VIP rooms.

Contact information

Rio Hotel & Casino
Rua Luis Gonzaga Gomes, Macau

Tel: (853) 28718 718
Fax: (853) 28718 728
Email: info@riomacau.com

Reservations and Enquiries:
Tel: (853) 28718 766
Fax: (853) 28718 799
Email: reservation@riomacau.com

Rio Casino at Google Maps

                          

The email address is info -at- landmarkmacau.com.mo.

Some toll-free reservation numbers :

* 800 967 205 (Hong Kong)
* 1 080 015 30035 (China – South Province)
* 1 080 085 30035 (China – North Province)
* 008 018 76030 (Taiwan) 

The hotel features a total of 451 rooms and suites, elegantly decorated.

Options for dining are : Varanda (international cuisine), Royal Orchid Chinese Restaurant (specialties from Shanghai), Kawato Japanese Restaurant (as its name refers) and Petrus (presenting the finest Chinese dishes).

Some other chars that the Landmark offers and you might be interested in : a complete gymnasium, cool and hot pools, sauna, golf putt and video arcade for the kids. A top-notch spa is available as well.

In what comes to gaming, the Landmark Macau runs the reputed casino Pharaoh’s Palace. While entering the Pharaoh’s you will immediately be amazed by its Egyptian theme, with every detail well taken care of.

Inventory -as we can remember- : there are almost 500 gaming machines and 40 poker and table games. At the Pharaoh’s you can play either Blackjack, Baccarat, Poker or American Roulette.

The Pharaoh’s Palace is one of our favorite Macau landbased casinos here at Best-Macau-Casinos.com.

The Landmark Hotel / Pharaoh’s Palace Casino Macau on Google Maps…

                          

The casino is owned by The Las Vegas Sands Corporation. If features more than 21,000 m2 of gambling space, with 400 slots and 740 table games for Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, Poker and others (it has more tables than any other casino in the world).

The hotel presents deluxe and executive suites, all equiped with fax machine and printer, wireless Internet access, cordless phones with dual lines, LCD TV sets, DVD and CD players and cable TV as well, all under a state-of-the-art, modern design.

Plenty of shows are offered inside the Sands Macao facilities on a regular basis.

Restaurants available inside the hotel : the Golden Court -contemporary Cantonese cuisine-, Restaurant Pérola -Portuguese specialties-, the Copa Steakhouse -steaks and American cuisine-, the Winner’s Circle -a Las Vegas style bar-, the Moonlight Food Market -featuring Asian cuisine- and the 888 Gourmet Place -South East Asian specialties from China, Japan and Thailand chefs-.

Contact information

Address: Largo de Monte Carlo, No.203, Macau
Inquiries: +853 2888 3388
Email: generalinquiries@sands.com.mo

The Sands Macau at Google Maps

                          

World-known stars have performed at the Venetian Macau. Some of them are Celine Dion, Beyoncé Knowles, The Police, José Carreras and The Pussycat Dolls.

The Las Vegas Sands Corporation is behind the management of the Venetian. The casino is was erected by taking into consideration the Las Vegas Venetian, with one exception : the Macau version is larger in square feet and space used for the casino slots and table games.

Casino and games

The gambling space is divided into themed gaming areas : Phoenix, the Red Dragon, Golden Fish and Imperial House. 3,400 slots and 800 tables were carefully located inside the 51,000 m2 that the casino uses.

In what comes to hotel accomodation, the Venetian offers more than 3,000 suites to choose from. You can pick regular suites or design the gambling holiday of your life, staying at the Rialto or Paiza suites -designed for millionaires and high rollers-.

YouTube.com : the Venetian Macau video

The Venetian Macau at Google Maps

                          

It’s an American-style casino and occupies 100,000 feet in gaming space. As outdoor attraction, presents its performing fountain, a show made of artificial water that performs to the rythm of classic rock music.

The hotel offers the guests to choose from deluxe and grand deluxe rooms. The facilities also include five classy restaurants : Wing Lei (Cantonese cuisine), Il Teatro (Southern Italian cuisine and specialties), the Cafe Esplanada (International Menu), Okada (Japanese specialties) and Red Eight or Red 8 (specialized in Cantonese and Northern Chinese dishes).

There are also available a spa and hair salon with pool and fitness center. Meetings and even weddings can be arranged at the facilities, especially designed for any ocasion.

When it comes to shopping, Wynn Macau has only the best to offer. The following top-quality brands are present at its mall : Ferrari, Gucci, Armani, Hermenegildo Zegna, Bvlgari, Hermes, Giorgio Armani, Prada, Rolex, Piaget, Vertu, Chanel, Dior, Fendi, Hugo Boss and Luis Vuitton, among others.

Summing up, Wynn Macau features 600 rooms and suites. The casino offers you to pick from 375 slot machines and more than 200 table games.

The Wynn Macau at YouTube

                          

Ponte 16 is owned by Macau Success Limited and Sociedade de Jogos de Macau S.A. from Stanley Ho. It features a European Riviera theme, as if the visitor was located at an old-style Portuguese colony.

Ponte 16 is located at the Inner Harbour, west side of Macau. It’s one of the newest Macau casinos.

Presently offering 419 rooms -394 standard rooms, 10 suites and 15 presidential suites-, a swimming pool, spa, a wellness and fitness center and conference room. It’s a five star hotel and its most visited restaurant is Le Mistral (Japanese, French, Swiss and Chinese cooking).

There are also three bars present at the facilities : the Vin Bar, the Pool Bar and Le Rendevous.

Also offers you the chance to visit : Edo -Japanese food-, Harlan’s -restaurant- and the finest place for Cantonese food in Macau : The Fortune Inn.

Tables and games

In what comes to gaming, Ponte 16 offers more than 300 slot machines and 150 poker and table games.

Official website (does not work very well) : http://www.ponte16.com.mo/

Ponte 16 grand opening on YouTube...

                          

The hotel has 550 luxurious and large rooms, featuring Executive Suites, Deluxe Executive Suites and one Presidential Suite as well.

The design for most of the rooms corresponds to an old-fashioned European style, but almost fifty of the standard rooms are well equipped and considered some familiar design for those guests that choose to stay for longer periods in Macau.

Restaurants with well-trained and renowned chefs are another main characteristic of the New Century. The dining options here are : the Caesar Terrace, Scenic Veranda Coffee Shop, New Century Chinese Restaurant and the Waterfall Garden Tea House.

As to gaming, the Greek Mythology Casino is open 24 hours, featuring a hundred slot machines, 500 table games total, another hundred tables for Poker with its variations, 65 American Roulette tables and fifty Black Jack tables.

Other table games that can be found at the 100,000 square feet casino floor are Baccarat, Sic Bo, Three-Card Poker and the latest Video Slots.

                          

Lots of international awards are now in the trophy room of MGM Grand Macau. Here are some of them : 2009 Fourth Chine Hotel Starlight Awards, TTG China Travel Awards 2009 : “Best New Hotel in Macau”, Best Hotels and Resorts in Asia The Hotel Club Awards 2008 : “Best New Property” and the Michelin Star Award : Imperial Court Chinese Restaurant, among others.

The hotel features 200 rooms “as each as uniquely different as our guests”, as the MGM slogan claims. Suites, villas and Grand Suites are available as well.

Restaurants (under the “Extravagant” tag): Aux Beaux Arts (Parissian brasserie), The Russian Room (with the opulence of the Imperial Russia), The Aba Bar (the most extensive collection of champagnes and wines from around the world), Rossio (Open Kitchen concept, featuring a mix of South-East Asian, Mediterranean and Portuguese cuisine) and the awarded Imperial Court (Cantonese dishes). Casual bars : The MGM Patisserie, Square Eight and the Pool Bar. Celebratory : The Lion’s Bar.

The Sixth Sense Spa is also a must-see around the MGM Grand Macau.

Gaming

High-rollers and regular players will get their piece of the fun at the MGM Grand.

There is a 222,000 square foot gaming space for casino lovers : 300 table games and 1,000 slot machines will turn your head around at every corner.

The MGM also features a theater with more than 1,200 seats, a nightclub with more than 5,000 square foot and a convention center.

MGM Grand Macao at Google Maps -the D marks the correct location-