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Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?

Sunderland, United...
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Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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Read a very interesting article this weekend concerning the ever-growing gambling mecca of Macau. Some incredible statistics -

* The casinos of Macau jingle to the tune of $38billion each year, more than six times the sum wagered in Las Vegas.

* On average, gamblers lay down $1,354 in Macau casinos compared to just $156 in Las Vegas.

But I was in Macau this year. Whilst it is interesting to visit a complete replica of, say, the Venetian, the whole casino experience is very cold and intense. The Chinese gamblers were very focussed and there seemed little in the way of "fun" going on. So - Vegas every time for me.

Of course, they do not aim to compete with Vegas - generally seen as too far to travel for the American/European audience. But does the investment of USA gambling corps suck money away from Vegas? Another statistic:

* Las Vegas Sands spent $265 million on the Sands Macau in 2004 and since has put another $100 million into the property. In addition to the $2.4 billion for The Venetian, the company is spending more than $12 billion to build 11 resorts on the Cotai Strip. Wynn Resorts’ total investment is more than $1.1 billion in the 600-room Wynn Macau, and the company expects to spend $600 million to add a second hotel tower by 2009.

Discuss................

Hampshire, UK
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1. Re: Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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The most interesting figure in your post is perhaps the $156 per Vegas visitor.

I wonder how the 'number of days per visit' and 'number of visits per year' figures compare.

Edited: 10 years ago
New York City, New...
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for Las Vegas
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2. Re: Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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What I've read about Macau agrees with your impression; the focus is much more on gambling, and less on the resort amenities/shows/food/etc that round out the Las Vegas experience. I wonder if there is any sort of convention business in Macau (which brings large numbers of people who don't necessarialy gamble). And, I should pop over to the Macau forum on TA and see how many posts there are re: "I'm coming to Macau with my kids, ages 4, 7 and 11; what's there for them to do?"

Interesting question re: investment. In Las Vegas, I wouldn't say that Wynn and LV Sands are the two owners that have been skimping on investment in Las Vegas. Now, if someone said that CET was investing heavily in Macau and neglecting the upkeep of their Las Vegas properties, I'd probably believe that.

atlanta
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3. Re: Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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I have a relative that is a high limit baccarat dealer in Vegas. He says that Macau has significantly impacted the play in Vegas, especially around Chinese New Year.

Sterling, Illinois
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4. Re: Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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Over there the patrons are much more serious gamblers.

Here they come to have fun and gambling is just a sideline between shopping, drinking, dining, and shows.

Ohio
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5. Re: Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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Vegas gets a lot of one time visits from US citizens. People that could not afford air fare to Macau and can barely afford to gamble in Vegas. Whats killing vegas is the "plethora" of casinos in the US.

Bend, Oregon
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6. Re: Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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Macau sounds like no fun.

Sunderland, United...
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7. Re: Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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blossom - when we were there you could not get near the tables. Surrounded by Chinese, all in their overcoats, grimly wagering on very high minimum stakes. No drinks either...far too serious a pastime to be impaired by alcohol.

A great place to see, no doubt, and I'm sure it will continue to develop at a pace. They are soon to open a bridge between Hong Kong and Macau - previously, like us, you needed to take a ferry. That same article said that something like 3 billion people would be in catchment of 3 hours travel from Macau....a much bigger catchment than Vegas.

But where were the $1 Michelobs and plastic Eiffel Towers full of cocktails? And (and this is particularly for MrMacys peculiar ongoing interest) I saw very little tipping. Unbelievable, eh?

vancouver
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mackemmick has it right. I had 3 nights booked there. Stayed 1 night and was ready to leave. Got 1 of the remaining two nights refunded and was happy to be on my way. I was frankly shocked at how dull the place was.

Tempe, AZ
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9. Re: Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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Manny Pacquiao fought in Macau over the weekend. I doubt I'll be attending any fights there, ever.

Sausalito...
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10. Re: Las Vegas - Will it ever be the new Macau?
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China is crowded? Never would of guessed.

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