Macau: Gambling, Corruption, Prostitution, and Fake Worlds

Below is an excerpt from a fascinating article about the illusions of Macau, where locals are protected from Gambling Addiction by statute.

Too many folks in high position view the glitter, glitz and appearing prosperity as easily replicated, which it isn't.

Friday, 12 April 2013

Macau: Gambling, Corruption, Prostitution, and Fake Worlds

As I mentioned in my previous post, Macau has different faces and identities: there is the old Macau, full of colonial buildings and in which the pace of life seems to resemble a relaxed Mediterranean town rather than a bustling, hectic Chinese city, such as Hong Kong or Shanghai. On the other hand, there is the Macau of gambling, of gigantic hotel and casino resorts, and of prostitution. These two Macaus seem to be spatially separated from each other, with an intact colonial city centre and nice outskirts with small alleys on the one side, and bombastic, modern buildings on the other.

The gaming industry accounts for 75% of all government revenue. With a population of just around 500,000, Macau welcomed in 2008 more than 30 million tourists, 60% of whom were mainland Chinese (CIA World Factbook 2010, p. 414). The gambling and tourism sectors are also by far the largest employers, with around 97% of the labour force employed in services (ibid.). The percentage of people directly employed in the hotel and gaming sector grew from 25.3% to 35% between 2004 and 2008 alone (Lam/Scott 2011, p. 26).

http://my-new-life-in-asia.blogspot.com/2013/04/macau-gambling-corruption-prostitution.html