
Gambling in Macau - additional information
Macau, along with Hong Kong, is one of two Special Administrative Regions in China. Gambling in Macau, which was legalized in the 1850s, makes up a large portion of the regionās economy. Revenue from gaming and gambling there exceeded 28 billion U.S. dollars in 2015. To put this into perspective, gambling revenue in one of the most famous gaming centers in the world, Las Vegas, generally reaches around six billion U.S. dollars annually. The majority of gambling revenue in Macau is generated from games of fortune, including poker, baccarat and roulette, among others.
The success of the gambling industry in Macau has attracted casino companies from around the world. One of these companies includes Las Vegas Sands, the leading casino company worldwide in terms of revenue. Sands, which was founded in Las Vegas in 1988, generates the largest share of its revenue from its properties in Macau.
In 2016, there were 38 casinos in Macau. Within these casinos, Texas Holden Poker generates the most revenue among the games of fortune. While its revenues have declined slightly in recent years, the card game, which is a variation on standard poker, still brought in 38.81 billion U.S. dollars in 2016.