Sheldon Adelson visit coincides with prostitution crackdown

Unlike Americans who tolerate prostitution along with casinos, Macau has signaled "What happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas." Not in Macau!

Prostitution Crackdown At Macau Casino Shows Las Vegas Difference

Macau has become the top casino gambling destination in the world over the past couple of years, but the area showed on Friday that they are different than Las Vegas in one area. Authorities in Macau will not tolerate prostitution at the casino resorts.

On Friday, over 100 women were arrested at the Venetian casino resort that opened back in 2007. The raid of the Venetian, which is owned and controlled by Las Vegas Sands, ends a tumultuous week of business in China for LVS and owner Sheldon Adelson.

Earlier in the week, Sands China proposed another multi-billion casino resort for the Cotai Strip, but they were denied by the Macau government. On Friday, Sands did not yet have a comment on the raid that took place earlier in the day.

The operation by law enforcement targeted not only the women, but the people who were allegedly running the prostitution ring. In addition to the 110 Chinese women arrested, twenty-two people who were thought to be in control of the operations were arrested as well.

Las Vegas, over the years, has become known as a hotbed for prostitution. In many cases, clients can actually be directed to the prostitution services from insiders hanging out in the casino resorts. The resorts themselves do not promote the behavior.

The raid came on the same day when owner Adelson was in Macau on a visit. The raid, according to authorities, was not planned in conjunction with the Adelson visit. It took seventy officers to round up all of the accused during the several hour raid.

Macau has become the largest gaming destination in the world and it is Adelson that helped create the gambling mecca. Adelson was struggling with his US properties when he invested much of his own money in Macau. That gamble has paid off as Macau has obliterated revenue records for much of 2010.