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Gambling in Macau has been legal since the 1850s when the Portuguese government legalised the activity in the autonomous colony. Since then, Macau has become known worldwide as the "Gambling capital of the world".[1][2] It is the only place in China where casino gambling is legal.
Gambling tourism is Macau's biggest source of revenue, making up about 50% of the economy. Visitors are largely from mainland China and Hong Kong. With the entry of large foreign casinos from Las Vegas and Australia, Macau overtook the Las Vegas Strip in gambling revenues in 2007.[3]
Until Western-style casino games were introduced in the 20th century, only Chinese games were played, the most popular being Fan-Tan. Generally, gambling in Macau can be divided into one of four categories: casino games, greyhound racing, sports betting, and lotteries. At the present time, Macau does not license online gambling operations.[citation needed]
Macau, a special administrative region like Hong Kong, is the only place in China where casinos are legal, and the business has grown at an astounding pace since 2001, when the government ended the four-decade gambling monopoly of the Hong Kong billionaire Stanley Ho.[citation needed]
Macau is the pre-eminent gambling capital of the world, grossing the highest amount of gambling/gaming revenue and greatly dwarfing all the other gambling centers/cities.[1][2][4]
- ^ a b Branigan, Tania (11 May 2011). "Macau – gaming capital of the world". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "Macau: The world's gambling capital". BBC News.
- ^ Barboza, David (23 January 2007). "Macao Surpasses Las Vegas as Gambling Center". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
- ^ Riley, Charles (6 January 2014). "Macau's gambling industry is now 7 times bigger than Vegas". CNNMoney.