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You could be forgiven for thinking that Las Vegas is the gambling capital of the world. Well, while the city's iconic strip houses some of the most famous casinos in the world in terms of size and money generated, Las Vegas comes a very distant second to Macau. Tapping into the huge gambling culture in Asia, the Chinese-ruled territory is now beginning to attract gamblers from around the world, all keen to explore the world's largest casino complex just off the coast of mainland China. If there was any doubt as to by how much Macau dwarfs Vegas, the fact the island generates seven times as much as its American rival highlights the scale we are talking about.
While the popularity of gambling online in North America is clear from the number of people visiting sites such as CasinoQuest.ca to access casinos online, in China many have to leave the mainland in order to play blackjack, roulette or their favorite slot game. Macau initially burst onto the scene following the decision to allow foreign companies to trade on the island in 2002, but recent years had seen the territory lose some popularity with a large number of VIP gamblers. Following a government crackdown on the island in 2013, some high rollers took their business elsewhere. However, a growth in China's middle classes appears to have filled the gap left by those big money gamblers, with Macau once again witnessing a real growth in visitor numbers.
In a similar fashion, Honk Kong remains an autonomous territory, operating under Chinese rule ever since the former Portuguese colony was handed back in 1999. While gambling has been legal on the island ever since 1847, it wasn't until the turn of the century that Macau saw a huge spike in popularity with both gamblers and casino developers. At its peak, Macau generated $45 billion, and those glory days could be set to return with casinos based on the island now enjoying the fruits of China's burgeoning middle classes, not to mention some of those big money gamblers that had been absent in recent years.
Similar to those gambling fans who visit the Las Vegas Strip or online casinos through sites such as A2Zcasinos.org Macau's casino customers are split mainly into two groups: VIPs and casual gamblers. VIP visitors can often spend a few hundred thousand dollars at high roller tables, while the casual visitors can often be found playing at the $100-or-lower-minimum tables. And like Las Vegas and online gambling, Macau has began to put customer enjoyment at the forefront of what they want to achieve, changing the way many are viewing it.
Previously knows as an intense, gambling-focused casinos in Macau have shifted to more of a resort-style experience, attracting a younger and more mainstream crowd, many making the short trip from mainland China looking to explore this fascinating island and everything it offers.
