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2 Casinos 3 Other forms of gambling |
The gambling industry probably represents over 40% of the GDP of Macau. Gambling has also an important impact on tourism, as for instance, gamblers from Hong Kong often take a one-day excursion to the city. From the official statistics, gambling taxes form over half of the government income.
Though many forms of gambling are legal there, such as blackjack, baccarat, roulette, boule, "big and small", fantan, keno and "tiger machine". The most popular game is Tiger machine.
Historically,gambling is legal in Macau for a long time. From 1851 to 1863, there was a licensing system for gambling houses. Until 1934, casino's ownership and operation was centralized. Through private negotiations,some franchises monopolized the operation right of all casinos. The casino industry has been controlled by the Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau (STDM) monopoly for 39 years. That has changed in 2001 when casino licenses have been offered to other casino operators.
Casino Lisboa is open 24 hours. The casino features 107 slots and 146 table games. The property has six restaurants and a hotel with 1,000 rooms.Casino Macau Palace is open 24 hours. The casino features fifty-one slots and twelve table games. Jai Alai Casino is open 24 hours. The casino features 208 slots and fifty-nine table games. Kam Pek Casino is open 24 hours. The casino features seventy-one slots and twenty-four table games. Kingsway Hotel & Casino is open 12:00pm - 4:00am. The casino features twenty slots and eight table games. The property has a hotel with 410 rooms.Mandarin Oriental Casino is open 12:00pm - 4:00am. The casino features fifty-nine slots and eleven table games. The property has six restaurants and a hotel with 437 rooms. The Legend Club is a Casino in Macau, and is open 24 hours. The casino features 108 slots and ten table games.
Other than casinos, there is betting at the Macau Jockey Club and the dog-racing Canidrome.
The Macau Jockey Club was formerly the Macau Trotting Club. In 1991, it was acquired by a consortium led by Dr Stanley Ho. The Macau Jockey Club is one of the largest private employers of Macau with around 1,400 employees and around 1,100 part-timers.
Economic aspect
Casinos
Macau has nine casinos and the biggest one is the Casino Lisboa. All operated under Government franchise and rules are standard in all gaming halls. They open 24-hours a day and there is no entry fee. Visitors from foreign countries must be over 18 years old (local residents must be over 21) if they want to visit the casinos. Visitors are required to dress properly. Male guests are not permitted to wear shorts, sandels or slippers. Guests are not allowed to bring along with any weapons, cameras and pocketknives, they will be removed before entering.Other forms of gambling