Asia Casino Gambling Mecca – Macau
Macau Gamblers
Macau casinos barely satisfies the insatiable needs of the Chinese gamblers.
According to casino gambling news, Chinese are among the biggest gamblers in the world per capita.. Recession, slowdown, doesn’t matter. The gaming industry in Asia is booming.
Since gambling, including online gambling, is illegal in mainland China, Macau has been reaping the benefits for many years. Just like casino online bonus hunters, the Chinese gamblers live, breath and eat for the exhilarating feeling of wagering on anything in their line of sight.
Macau casinos produce more revenue than the famous Las Vegas. Last year, there were over 15 million Chinese visits in Macau. Since the Chinese government allows the gamblers to bring a maximum of US $3,000, many high rollers seek new ways to bet larger sums than that.
Gambling in Macau with Hot Money
A store operator, Ms. Z., claims that certain wealthy visitors use their credit cards to ”buy” luxury products such as suits or watches, yet, in reality, these are fake purchases where the vendor pays the client cash upon charging the credit card. If an official happens to question that, it can always be claimed that a refund was given.
Another way is to arrange a transaction to buy an item in a store and immediately sell it to a pawnshop. This, of course, involves a transaction loss, however, nothing can stop serious blackjack or roulette gamblers.
Entire Chinese gangs of professional card counting system gurus have been known to subsidize their mistresses with such methods.
Macau has also seen a growth of underground ”banks” offering cash withdrawal services. These establishments rely upon services of people acting as mules to bring cash into the zone.
It is estimated that nearly 30% of Macau’s gambling revenues come from illicit cash obtained or brought into the zone to pay for gambling or to launder money. Growth has its price. Perhaps, allowing legal and controlled online gambling in China could cut out the illicit middlemen.