As in many communist countries, gambling is strictly forbidden in China. Not even the former British colony of Hong Kong has a casino. However, there is one exception. The southern Chinese island of Macau, which is only around 100 kilometres from Hong Kong, is the gambler’s paradise in Asia. Macau has long since overtaken Las Vegas itself with its joker123 and casinos.
Joker123: How did gambling come to be established in Macau?
Long a Portuguese colony, Macau was only returned to China in late 1999. If you walk through Macau today, churches and Portuguese colonial buildings remind you of the centuries-long siege by the Portuguese.
This special position is used in Macau to create a paradise for gamers from all over China and nearby Hong Kong. After Macao was returned to China, the island remained a special administrative region and gambling was allowed to continue. It has even expanded enormously since then.
Over 1,000,000 joker123 players from China every year
Millions of gamblers, mainly from China, visit the gambling island on the Pearl River Delta every year to indulge in the city’s casinos. How else could it be that Macau is also home to a superlative casino? The “Venetian” is the largest casino in the world with over 3,000 slot machines and 750 gaming tables.
It was built on the model of the famous “Venetian” in Las Vegas. Here, as in the American casino hotel, the landmarks of Venice, such as the famous St. Mark’s Square with its campanile, are reproduced. The “Venetian” in Macau, which also has a luxury hotel attached, is almost twice the size of the one in Las Vegas.
A gambling monopoly applied until 2002
Macau had a monopoly on the gaming market until 2002, but three more licenses have been granted since then. One of them went to the long-established Chinese industrialist Stanley Ho, and two other licenses went to American entrepreneurs. It was above all the entrepreneurs from the USA who invested enormous sums in Macau’s tourism infrastructure. This resulted in enormous hotel complexes as well as adventure and shopping miles.
Similar to what was done in Hong Kong, new areas were also created in Macau by piling upland. With around half a million people in an area of around 28 square kilometres, the island is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. In addition, around ten million visitors come to Macau every year.