Who has usurped Las Vegas as the world’s top casino draw?
The numbers are in: the famous Las Vegas strip has some serious competition for international gambling income. According to NEWS.au.net, Macau (a Special Administrative Region of China) has now over taken the American city when it comes to gambling revenue.
The article reports that the 22 casinos is Macau generated more than USD$7 billion in revenue in 2006. The 40 casinos in Las Vegas fell short at USD$6.6 billion dollars.
Macau has been enjoying an increase in revenue since 2001 when the government ended the monopoly on casinos in the area and allowed foreign operators to set up shop. Relaxed travel restrictions since 1999 have also contributed to the area’s success.
But don’t feel too sorry for Vegas – the Las Vegas Sands company was one of the first to set up a casino in Macau (The Macau Sands), and they plan to open a new casino this year, the Venetian, which includes a 3000 room hotel.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment