Macau is the only place for legalized casino gambling in China. Last week, Las Vegas officials said Macau outperformed the Las Vegas Strip by $6.95 billion in sales in 2006. The Las Vegas Strip’s $6.69 billion is a record amount, but not enough to outpace Macau.

According to the Chinese zodiac, 2007 is the “Year of the Pig.” However, it is not an ordinary pig year that comes every 12 years and is known as the “Year of the Golden Pig.”

The idea that the Lunar New Year should be the Year of the Golden Pig can be traced back to the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). Emperor Gaoz of the Tang Dynasty issued a new coin called ‘Kaiyuan Tongbao,’ which inherited the style of the ‘Zhu’ coin made in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC) in 621. Upon the accession of Emperor Taizong five years later, China entered a period of prosperity that lasted for about 200 years. The Tang Dynasty also reached its peak under Emperor Taizong’s rule. 바카라사이트

People believed that the “Kaiyuan Tong Bao” or “Zhu” coin brought wealth and peace to the country, so they named it “Golden Pearl.” People said that it was the year of the pig because “Zhu” has the same pronunciation as “pig” in Mandarin, because 627, the year Taizong inherited the throne, was the year of the pig.

Some say China is now in another bullish period. Statistics such as those provided in the chart show why China has developed so quickly so far and will continue to develop.

Gamblers from Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other Asian regions can reach Macau in a relatively short time, using a variety of modes of transportation. Short travel times can be used by air to Macau or Hong Kong from regions far from Asia (which will be followed by a short hydrofoil ferry or helicopter trip to Macau).

Simply put, Macau is being promoted as a popular gaming destination in Asia due to its easy access from major population centers. Macau completed the construction of an international airport in 1995 that offers direct air service to many major cities and countries in Asia, including Manila, Singapore, Taipei, Bangkok, Beijing, and Shanghai. Macau International Airport, which can accommodate large commercial airlines, operates regular flights to about 11 cities, including at least eight in China, and is also linked to numerous other major Asian destinations.

Most importantly, China allowed its citizens to cross the border twice with Macau shortly after the Sands Casino opened. The result was a flood of low-income punters filling major gaming venues, and if they don’t return on the same day, they can sleep in massager shops or parks to avoid wasting money on hotel rooms and earn more on gambling. These plays are welcome bonuses for casinos, and tend to offset the volatility caused by high-roller play in VIP rooms.

Stanley Ho (SJM) has dominated all of Macau’s games for 40 years. But Chinese leaders wanted Macau to expand its portfolio to luxury shopping malls, resorts, and convention centers. Ho seemed unable to turn the market around on his own. China announced in 1999 that its monopoly would end, a day after Macao, Portugal’s former territory, returned to Chinese rule. The Chinese government granted extra licenses and opened the market to foreign operators who helped transform Macau into one of the most successful tourist attractions in the world.

Ho still holds the upper hand over new casinos from Las Vegas and Australia, where 18 casinos control more than half of the market. Every time he opens a new one in Macau, his market share is declining. But one of the most popular sayings in Macau is that when the water rises, all the ships go up together. Ho’s casinos may not be as dominant as they used to be, but they will still be able to make money. Also, Ho is still the largest landowner in Macau. So while he may have lost some of his gaming revenue, the rest of his Land Bank portfolio has become more and more valuable. His value gets higher and higher because land costs are rising in Macau.

Grand Lisboa, a glittering gold complex, looks set to be a bold bet to reaffirm SJM as the No. 1 operator in Macau. This is Ho’s biggest response yet to a foreign company that has entered Macau and dominated a significant portion of the gaming market. Stanley Ho is now fighting back with his widely respected son Lawrence. He has adopted some of his adversaries’ policies and hired Western expertise to learn from them.*

*Recommended books: The skill of war by grandson. Chinese strategy explains that it knows itself and its enemies, tricks them, uses spies, and “win easily.”

Frank McFadden, who used to work at Sands, now serves as president of SJM. He has formed a foreign management team, mostly from foreign casinos. This approach is markedly different from other SJM casinos, whose management and policy are 100% Chinese and have not changed much in four decades, including paint and carpets.

The Grand Lisboa was designed by a team of international architects and interior designers. The building, in the shape of a giant lotus flower, opened just before the Chinese New Year in 2007, features 240 game tables, 480 slots, and six restaurants. The new Grand Lisboa is connected to the original hotel Lisboa, which opened in 1971 by Stanley Lake.

The rest of the complex, which includes a 47-story tower, will open with 430 hotel rooms later this year. With a breathtaking light show featuring the world’s largest integrated LED screen on the exterior of the Grand Lisboa, Ho has definitely upped its rival’s stakes.

Sands Macau opened in May 2004. They did a lot of things right. They hired a good setup team, centered on executives and managers with many years of experience in land and ship casinos in Malaysia, Cambodia, Hong Kong, and Indonesia. They were familiar with Asian Games, Asian practices, and Asian Games and knew how to find and educate good Asian employees.

They chose an open interior design that was suitable for their Asian clients. It was successful from the first day of its opening and never looked back. By May 2005, they had repaid all their construction bonds. Most of the original employees were rewarded with multiple promotions, and managers more than doubled the value of stock options.

In 2006, the casino completed construction to expand the casino from 165,000 square feet to 229,000 square feet. There are currently around 740 table games in the casino. Las Vegas Sands Corporation uses this figure to claim Sands Macau as the largest casino in the world.

Win Macao opened in September 2006 with approximately 212 table games, 375 slot machines, and approximately 100,000 square feet of casino gaming space.

The first stage features 600 hotel rooms and suites, seven restaurants, and 26,000 square feet of retail space.

Walking on the casino floor is an almost surreal experience. A water show is set up at the entrance to the Las Vegas Casino that moves to China. Chinese punters and staff, and some Las Vegas-style staff standing in the pit, ask questions. Punters admire the luxuriousness. They peer into the windows of a five-star restaurant with award-winning chefs, but crave a plate of noodles. They admire the store’s designer label clothes, luggage, and jewelry. Bulgari, Chanel, Fendi, Giorgio Armani, Prada, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton Piaget, Rolex, Tiffany & Co… But the Chinese are curious to know why the prices are outrageous, and they have no idea if they are original, not from their home countries. They covet the Russian hookers of the luxury nightclub “Triest.” They admire the beautiful outdoor swimming pool, but of course they have not used it. Then they sit down and play, and Win is playing some of the most powerful high-end games in Macau.

Taipei is an island located in the southern part of the Macau Peninsula. It covers an area of about 6.3 square kilometers. There are two bridges that connect Macau and Taipei. The third bridge will be open to the public soon. Taipei is best known for its resort islands. As the population grows, it has become another great shelter for young locals to escape from busy cities.

Taipei has opened a new border crossing with mainland China.

Macau International Airport, Macau University, Jockey Club Raceway, Carmel Gardens, Taipa Praia, Taipa Folk Museum, Macau Stadium, Putaiun, and Taipa Village are all located in Taipa.

Taifa Village is a very popular place for Macau cuisine. The narrow antique street, with its two-story buildings, pots, and antique streetlights, reminds us of one of the distinctive Southern European landscapes of the Chinese community. On weekends, it is usually crowded with tourists and locals. Many casino employees are migrating to Taifa, which is based in Kotai Streep. Real estate rental and purchase prices have not yet reached the level of Macau. The recommended snack foods are roasted bird nests, egg custards, and roasted pork chops. Beer is also delicious.

Coloans is one of Macau’s two main islands. It is located just south of the other main island, Taipei, and east of Greater Hungchin.

In nearby Zhuhai, Las Vegas Sands Corporation is making significant progress in developing Venice Hung Chin International Convention and Resort projects, but it still needs to be approved by the government.

Kotai Streep is a 1.8-mile landfill between Coloan and Taipa. Las Vegas Sands will own most of Kotai Streep’s hotel and casino infrastructure. The company will manage most of the casino space, and hotel partners will manage their respective hotels and amenities. Hotel partners include:

Venetian Macau, Four Seasons, Far East Consortium, Marriott, Ritz Carlton & Tang (Casino is managed by Melco PBL), Shangri-La and Traders, Sheraton and St Regis, Hilton and Conrad, Fairmont and Raffles

The first phase of Kotai Streep will open this summer with the grand opening of 3,000 Sweet Venetian Macao worth $1.8 billion, with construction or pre-construction activities beginning at all seven sites in Las Vegas Sands on Kotai Streep. Sheldon Adelson said that the opening of Kotai Streep will “be a toast” to most casinos on the peninsula where Hos and Grand Lisboa are located. Adelson told The Associated Press last year that “the competition will be over when the entire Kotai Streep opens.”