Figures due this week are expected to show that Macau is bigger than Las Vegas. The former Portuguese enclave in China raked in US$10.4 billion in gaming winnings in 2007, virtually matching the 2006 take for Clark County, the Nevada jurisdiction that includes Las Vegas and surrounding areas.

If Macau misses in the 2007 data, it’s only a matter of time before it leaves Las Vegas twinkling in its rearview mirror. Macau already far outearns the famous Las Vegas Strip, even though the Strip has a 50% advantage in the number of both visitors and casinos. Minimum bets in the Chinese territory usually set at HK$100 (US$12.85), compared with a less than US$1 in some Vegas locations, allow Macau to take in far more per customer and per table than Las Vegas.

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Posted in Las Vegas Casino, MGM Grand Macau, Venetian Macao, Wynn Macau, Wynn Resorts No Comments »

Legendary group The Police, performed at the Venetian Macao on February 7 to a sell out crowd.

The Police Live in Macau :: Wrapped Around Your Finger

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Posted in Cotai Strip, Entertainment, Macau Events, Venetian Macao No Comments »

Reports from the First Annual Macau Jewelry and Watch Fair were mixed as the show came to a close, but most agreed the show did not live up to the expectations of the participants who made the long trip.

The inaugural show was held in the Venetian Macao’s convention centre, attracting buyers from mainland China. Rising diamond demand in the Far East brought traders with high expectations.

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Posted in Macau Events, Macau Trade Fairs, Venetian Macao No Comments »

Investor Update Fourth Quarter 2007

Quarterly Highlights
* US$43.1 million in new acquisitions announced

* 101% of Company’s equity now committed

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Posted in Condominium, Design & Construction, Development, Infrastructure, Macau Business, Macau General, Macau Property, Macau Success, Social and Politics, eSun No Comments »

The Statistics and Census Service released the results of the Manpower Needs and Wages Survey for the third quarter of 2007. The survey covered the Manufacturing; Hotels & restaurants; Financial intermediation and Electricity, gas & water supply sectors, but excluded own-account workers and insurance agents and brokers not directly employed by insurance companies. The survey results were extrapolated based on the data obtained from 576 statistical units successfully interviewed, given as follows:

At the end of the third quarter of 2007, the Manufacturing sector had 27,962 paid employees, down by 10.5% from a year ago. Among them, 18,604 were working in the manufacture of wearing apparel. In September 2007, the average earnings (excluding bonuses and allowances) for full time employees in this sector amounted to MOP 4,976, up by 7.1% over the same month of 2006. The average earnings of Sewing machine operators in the manufacture of wearing apparel was MOP 3,413.

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Posted in Economy & Business, Employment, Macau General, Social and Politics No Comments »

The MSAR Government would resolutely devote all of its efforts to bring even better quality of life to its residents, and to ensure the long-term stability of the SAR.

These pledges were asserted today by the Chief Executive, Edmund Ho Hau Wah, when he spoke to the press after meeting President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao on his annual duty visit to Beijing.

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Posted in China, Economy & Business, Edmund Ho, Infrastructure, Macau General, Macau News, Social and Politics No Comments »

Just over three days remaining before the 54th running of the prestigious Macau Grand Prix, the jewel in the Formula 3 crown. Buckingham-based Hitech Racing aims to add victory at the far eastern venue to its well-deserved and convincingly-won Lloyds TSB Insurance British F3 International Series title.The team narrowly missed out on victory in Macau last year after Marko Asmer was eliminated at the first corner after starting from the front row.  Asmer, who took the team to victory in the domestic series this year, winning half the races, will spearhead the team’s Macau assault this year too and must start the event as one of the favourites.

Marko will be joined by the rapidly improving Austrian Walter Grubmüller, who is the real rookie in the team and indeed F3, with just a handful of single-seater races under his belt before he came to England.  Now, with the experience gained with Hitech Racing and his team-mate Asmer, the 18 year-old heads east hoping for a strong finish to set him up for next season.

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Posted in Grand Prix of Macau, Macau Sport No Comments »

Melco PBL Entertainment (Macau) Limited, a developer and owner of casino gaming and entertainment resort facilities focused exclusively on the Macau market, has today provided the following update on its City of Dreams casino development in Cotai.

Land Concession
Our subsidiaries Melco PBL (COD) Developments Limited (“MPBL (COD) Developments”) and Melco PBL Gaming (Macau) Limited (“MPBL Gaming”) recently received an offer letter from the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau (“DSSOPT”) of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China (“Macau SAR”) for a land lease agreement to be entered into with the Macau SAR for the two adjacent land parcels on Cotai that comprise the City of Dreams site.

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Posted in City of Dreams, Cotai Strip, Lawrence Ho, Macau Business, Macau Casino, Melco Crown No Comments »