Wizard of Macau Launches Improved Site Experience
Online gaming information site Wizard of Macau has announced that it has launched an improved version of its popular website, bringing a revamped look and feel to users who are seeking information on the world’s largest gambling destination.
The improvements to the site include a new look and feel that make the pages much easier to navigate as well as updated information that is being provided through an exclusive team of writers who have knowledge on the casinos, hotels, and activities within Macau. Visitors to Wizard of Macau can find a series of articles based on the various casinos and games offered in the former Portuguese colony. The site is also tied into the popular gaming forum Wizard of Vegas, which allows players to interact with each other to discuss a variety of topics. Joining these features is a map section that pinpoints the exact locations of the casinos and betting halls found in the area. A guide section gives information on Macau in general, including travel tips, restaurant reviews, the people living there, and the jurisdiction’s history.
Macau is a peninsula in China that was a Portuguese colony until 1999 and is currently the world’s largest gambling market. The destination has had legal gambling for more than 160 years, and the industry serves as the main source of revenue for Macau. Today there are 33 different land casinos spread across the Macau, with an assortment of venues owned by local and foreign entities such as Wynn, Sands, Melcro Crown, and many more.
The most popular game in Macau by far is Baccarat, which makes up the majority of money wagered in the various casinos. A favorite among Chinese punters, Baccarat pits a player against the banker, where the punter tries to get the closest they can to the number 9 in the hand dealt. Although Baccarat may rule in Macau, casinos do offer other popular games such as Blackjack, Keno, Big Six, Casino War, Pai Gow, Caribbean Stud, Fan Tan, Mah Jong, Roulette, and Sic Bo to their customers.
Recently Macau has seen its gaming revenues take a drastic drop , as the Chinese economy has declined and the country has implemented a crackdown on corruption. This has stunted the number of lucrative VIP gamblers visiting Macau, and revenues in 2015 have fallen 35.3% when compared to the same period last year (MOP 212.5 billion). Even with the lower numbers, Macau still manages to pull in more than double the revenues created by the world’s second-largest betting destination, Las Vegas.
“It is thought that the drop in revenues in Macau will force casinos to shift focus from high roller VIP players toward a more recreational customer,” said Wizard of Odds owner Joshua Chan. “Because of this, we feel it is important to provide users with a quality website that can inform them of the best casinos to visit and the strategy behind the various games located in these venues. We hope that Wizard of Macau fills this need.”
Wizard of Macau is one of three websites that were launched by gaming mathematician and actuary Michael Shackleford, with the other sites being the Wizard of Odds (a moniker that Shackleford has adopted) and the Wizard of Vegas (which focuses on Las Vegas based casinos, games, and attractions). The Wizard of Macau was launched in 2007 after Shackleford visited Macau and determined that there were no quality websites based on the gaming destination. The site has seen many major contributions by the Wizard himself as well as Canadian English teacher Jim K. In 2014 the whole network of sites was sold to Joshua Chan of the Latest Casino Bonuses network, joining sites such as Latest Casino Bonuses, Latest Bingo Bonuses, and Games and Casino.