Macau Casinos and Gambling News

[SeeMacau]

The newest casino in Macau which was opened last week

Golden Sand Casino :

[SeeMacau]

The most famous casino in Macau - Hotel Lisboa

[SeeMacau]

This is the list of all the casinos in Macau :

Casino Lisboa

Casino Macau Palace

Casino Marina

Casino Taipa

Diamond Casino

Jai Alai Casino

Kam Pek Casino

Kingsway Hotel & Casino

Mandarin Oriental Casino


MJC Casino and Grandview Hotel

New Century Casino


The Legend Club

The Sands Macau

[hkskyline]

Time Magazine, May 31, 2004 / Vol. 163 No. 21

Macau's Big Scor

An old gambling town is being jolted out of its slumber by an influx of Las Vegas high rollers

BY MICHAEL SCHUMAN | MACAU

Macau's Portuguese colonial rulers legalized the city's first gambling house in 1847. But judging by the public reaction to the May 18 opening of the flashy Sands Macau casino, you would think the Macanese had just discovered sin. Encouraged by false rumors that the Sands planned to hand out free gambling chips, hundreds of people lined up in the early-morning hours hoping to get first crack at the baccarat, poker and blackjack tables. By the time the casino was opened to the public at 3 p.m., more than 15,000 had gathered in a pulsating scrum, ready to rush the lobby. Three sturdy plate-glass doors were ripped from their hinges and several little old ladies were nearly trampled in the ensuing stampede before police restored order by forcing stragglers back to the main street. As night fell, hundreds who failed to get in during the first wave disconsolately waited outside behind police barricades for a chance to place their bets.

Their time will come. The opening of the Sands Macau, a $240 million waterfront pleasure dome, offers Asia its first taste of Las Vegas glitz, and the casino will soon be followed by others like it. In 2002 the local government ended a 40-year monopoly on the gambling business, permitting two of Vegas' biggest gaming magnates to open up shop. The economic boom that has ensued is loud even by Chinese standards. While nearby Hong Kong's economy, with a total population 15 times the size of Macau's 450,000, grew just 3.3% during a SARS-marred 2003, Macau's gross domestic product exploded by 15.6%. Meanwhile, more than $3 billion of investment in casino and resort projects is in the pipeline. "Macau is just on fire," says Marc Falcone, a New York City-based gaming analyst for Deutsche Bank.

The sleazy, sleepy city is certainly in transition. Before Portugal handed Macau back to China in 1999, its architecturally charming but rundown streets were lined with hookers and occasionally reverberated with gunfire and car bombings from triad gang battles. The gambling business—which contributes 75% of Macau's government's revenue and supports the city's only major industry, tourism—has been the exclusive province of Stanley Ho, an elusive 82-year-old casino-and-property tycoon. His company, Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau (STDM), has not kept gaming operations in step with the times. The Lisboa hotel and casino, the flagship of 12 Macau gambling houses owned and operated by Ho, opened in 1970, and years of hard use are reflected in the venue's shopworn carpets and smoky, musty atmosphere. "The old casinos are just all tables for you to gamble," says Gigi Santos, a Filipina living in Macau.

Now, Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn, two formidable American entrepreneurs, aim to transform Macau into a first-class tourist destination for millions of Asians, mainland Chinese in particular. Adelson and Wynn are credited with reviving Las Vegas' flagging fortunes in the 1990s by building a succession of spectacular complexes that combine hotels, entertainment and gambling facilities, among them the posh Venetian (Adelson's best-known resort) and the Mirage (a project by Wynn). Today, with separate gaming licenses from the Macau government, the pair are racing to duplicate their U.S. success. Adelson, 72, built the Sands Macau, so he is first out of the blocks. But he says the Sands is just his ante. He plans to line up investors for a strip of 20 3,000-room hotel-casinos, costing, he estimates, $12 billion, including a $1 billion re-creation of the Venetian due to break ground in June. "I see an Asian Las Vegas" sprouting in Macau, says Adelson.

Those who attended the Sands opening enjoyed a similar vision. Inside the front door, showgirls in pink, sequined bikinis and multicolored feathers pranced and greeted visitors. Towering above the busy slot machines, a 33-m-wide video screen flashed fireworks and ocean sunsets. Waiters in traditional Chinese peasant hats scurried between the tables with free cups of tea. A jazz band jammed at the casino bar. At the "888 Las Vegas Buffet," gamblers stuffed themselves silly with all-you-can-eat sushi, pasta and Indian curries for $17 a head—a bargain by local standards. Behind wooden doors, big spenders, or "whales" in Vegas lingo, enjoyed quiet VIP rooms with plush maroon chairs and lofty windows where minimum bets can reach $130. Still to come: 51 luxury suites, some with a mansion-size 740 sq m of floor space, featuring saunas, karaoke rooms, private plunge pools and Jacuzzis with views of the harbor.

Adelson and Wynn point out they are adapting their winning formulas to suit Asians. For example, the Sands has gaming tables for fan tan and other games preferred by Chinese. A jackpot combination on specially adapted slot machines is the locally auspicious "888" instead of the traditional triple seven that wins big in the U.S. But no matter how Asian-friendly, gambling alone won't be enough to fill thousands of new hotel rooms. "Right now, Macau is for the gambler, period," says Wynn, who is planning to break ground on a $550 million hotel-casino he calls "the most ambitious in the Pacific Rim" later this year. "The trick is to add other dimensions to the town, open the door to people who haven't been going to Macau."

Is all this frenetic construction just a gamble that a whale might make? Adelson doesn't think so. "Risks? I don't think there are any," he says. And he might be right. Half of the world's population lives less than a six-hour flight away from Macau. The city has always attracted gamblers from Hong Kong and a few high rollers from mainland China. Beijing is now allowing more Chinese to visit Macau independently instead of in tightly controlled tour groups. A surge is under way—the number of mainland tourists to the former colony nearly doubled between 2000 and 2003. Last year, gaming revenues at Macau's 12 casinos increased 27% to $3.8 billion. Compare that with Vegas, where the 22 major casinos saw a mere 2.4% increase to $4.7 billion last year. Each table in Macau pulls in $22,100 a day compared with the $2,200 Vegas average.

The only person who seems likely to lose out in the new Macau is former monopolist Ho. "Stanley Ho is going to have to change his thinking," warns Adelson. Maybe. But Ho's daughter, Pansy Ho, an STDM director, is negotiating with MGM Mirage, the world's biggest casino operator, for a possible alliance. Ho is building a second, $250 million Lisboa across the street from the original. And he is also constructing a $140 million amusement park called Fisherman's Wharf, set to open later this year on a pier jutting into Macau's harbor. "We want to show Chinese tourists a place that's more family-style," says Ho's business partner, Macau-based property developer David Chow.

Last week, Ho didn't act very concerned. He stopped by the Sands' opening, grinning broadly while meeting his new competitors. "We have the opportunity to learn from one another," Ho told reporters. "The cake is going to be bigger and bigger and we all could have a share." Viva that, Las Vegas.

With reporting by Neil Gough and Carmen Lee/Macau

[huaiwei]

Geez....they can make space for that many casinos? Impressive!

[SeeMacau]

They build casinos and hotels in the new reclaim land area .. (all concentrate in the South part of Macau). You will not find any other casinos in anywhere else of Macau ... and all the casinos must be 200 meters away from the school.


The size of Macau increased about 70% during the past five years .. (from 16km sq to 26km sq !! ... that's how small Macau is)

More than half of the area in Macau were reclaimed (Areas around Macau tower and the east part of Macau) ... especially in the late 80's at the time when the construction of apartments boomed).

[huaiwei]

MAY 29, 2004

New casino gives Stanley Ho a run for his money

The opulent Sands Macao casino has been attracting hordes of gamblers since its opening early this month

By Mary Kwang

MACAU - Eight out of 10 people who hail a cab in Macau these days want to go to the Sands.

So says local taxi driver Ng Kong Chun, describing how things have changed for him since the enclave's first American casino opened on May 18.

The remaining two would head for the Pu Kin, the local name for tycoon Stanley Ho's flagship casino, Lisboa, he said.

'Even though lots of taxis now queue at Sands, we only have to wait a minute for a fare, compared to 15 to 20 minutes at the Lisboa.'

Sands Macao, whose opening 10 days ago marked the end of Mr Ho's 42-year monopoly over the industry, is hard to miss as a landmark.

Passengers on board turbojets from Hong Kong can see its black and gold facade and the huge letters spelling out its name hundreds of metres away on the approach to the ferry terminal.

Even though it is an American outfit, Sands strives to cater to ethnic Chinese patrons, who account for 97 per cent of gamblers in Macau.

For instance, to hit the jackpot, a slot machine player has to line up the numbers 888, meaning to strike it rich, instead of the universal 777. There is also a 24-hour tea terrace offering 200 flavours of Chinese tea.

Although Sands is more opulent-looking than the Lisboa, which opened in 1970, visitors who have been to Las Vegas say that Sands still pales beside the offerings on the Strip.

One reason for this is that the amenities at Sands, such as more restaurants, will only be fully open in the next three months.

Sands is only the beginning of foreign investment in Macau's gaming and hospitality industry.

In the works are two more casinos owned separately by Hong Kong hotel tycoon Lui Che Woo and another American investor Steve Wynn.

Furthermore, the owner of Sands, the Venetian, plans by 2006 to transform a stretch of land between Taipa and Coloane islands into shopping malls, hotels, restaurants, family entertainment and convention facilities.

These rival developments have prodded Mr Ho into sprucing up his 12 casinos, including building a new 40-storey wing to the Lisboa.

Patrons say that the dealers at Mr Ho's casinos, who used to demand huge tips from winners, are now more restrained.

Ms Clavier Ng, Sands' public relations executive, said that it was too early to say how the opening of the new casino has affected the Ho stable.

The casino groups guard their operating statistics jealously. However, unconfirmed reports said that Sands has taken 13 per cent of the market.

A visit to the Lisboa on a Hong Kong public holiday, though, showed that its gambling halls were as crowded as before and the cigarette smoke just as thick.

The new developments have boosted confidence in Macau, which was returned to Chinese administration by Portugal in 1999.

Local resident Lou Po Chan said: 'Even the roads here are wider and well paved now. There are no potholes unlike in Portuguese days.'

More than the casinos, however, what has boosted the economy is the surge in tourist arrivals particularly after Beijing opened the doors to individual travel by mainlanders last July.

In the first quarter of this year, tourist arrivals increased by 25 per cent to 3.75 million compared to the same quarter last year.

Asked whether he was concerned about the triads as the number of casinos increased in Macau, Mr Lou said: 'We have had casinos for decades. We are used to it. In fact, the crime situation has improved a lot since 1999 because the government has clamped down on gang leaders.'


Las Vegas showgirls on hand at the opening of Sands Macao. Despite being an American outfit, the casino strives to cater to ethnic Chinese patrons, who account for 97 per cent of gamblers in Macau. -- REUTERS

[hkskyline]

Friday June 4, 4:17 PM
Las Vegas gambling tycoon Steve Wynn to break ground on casino resort in Macau

Las Vegas gaming mogul Steve Wynn will soon begin construction of his casino-hotel in Macau now that the enclave has passed a law to let casinos extend credit to gamblers, an executive said Friday.

Wynn will be competing with another Las Vegas operator, Sheldon Adelson, who opened the doors to his Sands casino last month, and Hong Kong tycoon Stanley Ho, who has been running casinos in Macau for more than 40 years.

Gamblers in Macau have long borrowed money from loan sharks who hang out around the casinos. Wynn won one of Macau's three casino licenses in 2002, but had threatened to back out of his plans to build here unless Macau passed the law allowing casinos to extend credit.

Macau lawmakers unanimously passed the law Monday and it takes effect July 1.

An executive at Wynn Resorts Macau, Linda Chen, said by telephone Friday that Wynn's casino-resort will cost at least 4 billion Macau patacas (US$498 million) with 600 hotel rooms, 200 gaming tables and 350 slot machines.

Wynn plans to officiate at a groundbreaking ceremony in June, but no date has been set.

The company announced in newspaper advertisements Thursday said it will begin erecting fences around its 16-acres (6.5-hectare) site on Monday, and has asked people with cars parked on the land to get them out by Sunday.

Wynn's 20-year contract with the Macau government requires that his company invest US$512.8 million within seven years and finish construction of the first phase of its casino-resort by 2006.

Macau was returned from Portuguese to Chinese rule in 1999 and three years later decided to open up its crucial gaming industry to competition after a four-decade monopoly by Ho.

The tiny enclave is just 40 miles (64 kilometers) west of Hong Kong and attracts many gamblers from there.

[SeeMacau]

MACAU – As reported by the Ponto Final: "Wynn Resorts says it will start preparatory construction works on its Outer Harbour site on Monday, June 7

"American gaming company Wynn Resorts announced on Thursday the start of construction of its four billion pataca casino-hotel tower in Macau.

"The company, which is headed by legendary Las Vegan gaming mogul Steve Wynn, made the announcement in paid advertisements in Macau's Portuguese and Chinese-language dailies.

"…The company's chief operating <span id="OFFICE" class=xxxxkeyword onmouseover="onmo(this);" onmouseout="inMenu=false;hide(this);">office</span>r in Macau, Linda Chen, told Ponto Final on Thursday that while preparatory construction works would begin with the site's hoarding on Monday, the formal ground-breaking ceremony would be held later in the summer. Chen said that Wynn would preside over the ceremony.

"…According to earlier announcements by Wynn Resorts, its Macau property will consist of a curved hotel-casino tower modelled on the company's current project in Las Vegas. A spokesman for the company told a media delegation visiting Las Vegas last year that its project in Macau would at least cost US $ 500 million, employ no less than 3,000 people and include 600 hotel rooms, 200 gaming tables, several 'fine-dining' restaurants, a <span id="SHOPPING" class=xxxxkeyword onmouseover="onmo(this);" onmouseout="inMenu=false;hide(this);">shopping</span> arcade, and a host of other resort amenities…"

The construction site

[SeeMacau]

MACAU – As reported by the Ponto Final: "Macau's casino sector generates record gross revenue of 15.1 billion patacas (US$1.88 billion) in first five months, up 'over 50 per cent' on same period last year

"Macau's 13 casino generated a record 3.4 billion pataca (US $ 425 million) gross revenue last month, when for the first time since 1937 two rival casino companies were vying for gamblers.

"According to an official source, Stanley Ho Hung-sun's 12 casinos raked in 3.31 billion patacas. His new rival from Las Vegas, Sheldon Adelson's Sands Casino that opened on May 18, made a gross revenue of around 90 million patacas, or just 2.6 per cent of the casino sector's total gross revenue last month.

"…According to Macau's new gaming legislation, the government directly collects 35 per cent of the casinos' gross revenue as tax…"

[SeeMacau]

MACAU – As reported by the Ponto Final: "Macau's 82-year old gaming mogul Stanley Ho Hung-sun plans to open "several" new casinos over the next few years, a source of his casino company, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (SJM), said on Tuesday.

"Speaking on condition not to be named, the source said possible locations for the 'several' new casinos were premises in two existing hotels in the Macau Outer Harbour, the four-star Nam Yue and the three-star Fortuna, as well as the New Yaohan Department Store near the Macau Maritime Terminal.

"…'We are just looking at possible sites and, of course, we would like to run more casinos,' the source said, adding, 'But nothing has yet been confirmed.'

"The source also pointed out that each new casino covered by SJM's concession agreement with the Macau government required an additional operating licence from the government…"

[SeeMacau]

LAS VEGAS – Steve Wynn's Macau megaresort will cost about $705 million and include 600 rooms and 100,000 square feet of gambling space, the casino developer revealed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday.

Wynn intends to begin construction June 28 on the Wynn Macau project, which will also consist of seven restaurants, approximately 28,000 square feet of retail space, a spa, salon and entertainment facilities.

"The contractors are obligated to substantially complete the project within 26 months after the date of commencement for a guaranteed maximum price of $255.5 million," the filing said.

Macau, a former Portuguese enclave, was returned to Chinese rule in 1999. Three years later, China decided to open up its vital gambling industry to competition after a four-decade monopoly by Hong Kong tycoon Stanley Ho.

A peninsula, Macau is about 40 miles west of Hong Kong.

Wynn decided to move forward with building the casino after the Legislative Assembly of the Special Administrative Region of Macau approved legislation last month enabling Macau casinos to lawfully extend credit to gamblers and enforce gambling debts. The new law takes effect July 1.

Wynn won one of Macau's three casino licenses in 2002, but had threatened to drop plans unless Macau passed the law.

Wynn Macau will lease a 16-acre parcel from the government for an initial term of 25 years, with a right to renew for additional periods, the filing said.

When the lease contract becomes effective, Wynn Macau is required to make an initial payment to the government of approximately $40 million, which will be paid in 10 semiannual installments. He'll make annual lease payments of up to $400,000, the filing said.

Wynn Macau also will pay approximately $17 million to Nam Van Development Company for its relinquishment of rights to a portion of the land.

Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands Inc. became the first American company to own and operate a casino in Macau. The company opened the $240 million Sands Macau casino on May 18.

Gambling giant MGM Mirage was not granted a development license from the Macau government, but the company is reportedly in talks with the daughter of Ho to build a casino there.

[SeeMacau]

SYDNEY (Dow Jones)--Leighton Holdings Ltd. (LEI.AU) said Tuesday its Asian subsidiary, Leighton Asia, and China State Construction Engineering have been awarded a A$350 million contract to build a casino in Macau for Wynn Resorts Ltd. (WYNN).

The Australian construction and engineering group's share of the contract is A$175 million.

Under the contract, Leighton and CSCE will be responsible for the design and construction of a five star development that includes a hotel tower, gaming areas, nine restaurants, a retail arcade and a ballroom.

Design work has already started and the project is due for completion by the fourth quarter of 2006, Leighton said in a statement.

Leighton Asia Managing Director Will Hamilton said the casino project pushes its work in hand in Hong Kong, Macau and China to a record of A$925 million.

[SeeMacau]

MACAU – As reported by Bloomberg: "Manuel Joaquim das Neves, Macau's Gaming Control Board director, is struggling with numbers.

"He has a four-page list of new gambling rules that need to be passed and a stack of plans for as many as 24 new casinos.

"Then there are 3.75 million tourists, more than half from China, who visited in the first quarter - a 25 per cent increase over last year.

"…'Last year, if someone told me that growth would be so fast, I wouldn't have believed them,' said das Neves, 44.

"…'They've only scratched the surface of the demand,' said Marc Falcone, 31, managing director and analyst at Deutsche Bank Securities in New York.

"'Macau can grow revenue 25 per cent a year over the next five years.'

"Gaming was the main attraction for the record 11.9 million tourists who visited last year…"

[SeeMacau]

LAS VEGAS — Steve Wynn’s Macau megaresort will cost about $705 million and include 600 rooms and 100,000 square feet of gambling space, the casino developer revealed in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing Thursday.

Wynn intends to begin construction June 28 on the Wynn Macau project, which also will consist of seven restaurants, approximately 28,000 square feet of retail space, a spa, salon and entertainment facilities.

“The contractors are obligated to substantially complete the project within 26 months after the date of commencement for a guaranteed maximum price of $255.5 million,” the filing said.

Macau, a former Portuguese enclave, was returned to Chinese rule in 1999. Three years later, China decided to open up its vital gambling industry to competition after a four-decade monopoly by Hong Kong tycoon Stanley Ho.

A peninsula, Macau is about 40 miles west of Hong Kong.

Wynn decided to move forward with building the casino after the Legislative Assembly of the Special Administrative Region of Macau approved legislation last month enabling Macau casinos to lawfully extend credit to gamblers and enforce gambling debts. The new law takes effect July 1.

Wynn won one of Macau’s three casino licenses in 2002, but had threatened to drop plans unless Macau passed the law.

Wynn Macau will lease a 16-acre parcel from the government for an initial term of 25 years, with a right to renew for additional periods, the filing said.

When the lease contract becomes effective, Wynn Macau is required to make an initial payment to the government of approximately $40 million, which will be paid in 10 semiannual installments. He’ll make annual lease payments of up to $400,000.

Wynn Macau also will pay approximately $17 million to Nam Van Development Company for its relinquishment of rights to a portion of the land.

Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands Inc. became the first U.S. company to own and operate a casino in Macau. The company opened the $240 million Sands Macau casino on May 18.

Gambling giant MGM Mirage was not granted a development license.

[sasamaca]

do you have the pics of the projects?

[SeeMacau]

MGM Mirage, the US gambling group, reached a deal to open a casino in Macau with Pansy Ho, daughter of Chinese gambling magnate Stanley Ho, by late 2006 to gain a foothold in the former Portuguese colony that is Asia's biggest gaming market.


The resort, to be named MGM Brand, will be a 50-50 joint venture between the partners, MGM said. The new casino will operate under a subconcession agreement with Mr Ho's Sociedade de Jogos de Macau and be located on a waterfront site near the Hong Kong tycoon's flagship Lisboa casino complex. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed and the Macau government must still approve the transaction.

The deal would enable MGM Mirage to catch up with its US rivals that have already staked claims in Macau's gambling market, believed to be one of the world's most lucrative. Casino operators are hoping to turn Macau into the Las Vegas of the east because of the millions of tourists it attracts each year from around Asia, especially China.

US tycoon Sheldon Adelson's Las Vegas Sands, which owns The Venetian in Las Vegas, became the first American casino to open in Macau in May and is planning a second resort complex. Galaxy Casino, partly owned by Mr Adelson, is building another casino.Wynn Resorts, owned by Steve Wynn, another Las Vegas gambling magnate, also plans to open its first casino resort in Macau by December 2006 and invest an additional $516m in the territory by 2009.

The venture also gives the Ho family a way to maintain its strong presence and influence in Macau, where their 40-year monopoly on the territory's gambling licence was ended by the city government in 2001 to open up the industry to foreign competitors.

"After they lost the monopoly they had to join the game," said a gaming analyst. "They can't just sit back."

The Ho family, which also runs businesses in property, hospitality and shipping through the Hong Kong-based Shun Tak Holdings, of which Pansy Ho is the managing director, earned $412m from its 12 casinos in Macau last year, a 50 per cent jump from a year ago.

The announcement came just one week after MGM Mirage sealed the takeover of its rival Mandalay Resort for $7.9bn in cash and debt, making it the clear leader in the US casino industry ahead of Caesars Entertainment and Harrah's Entertainment with control of about half of the 70,000 hotel rooms in Las Vegas.

However with its growth prospects in the US constrained by anti-gaming laws and heavy tax rates in many states, the company is pressing ahead with expansions abroad. Terry Lanni, MGM's chief executive, recently said he was bullish on prospects for expansion in London and regions in the UK, Singapore, Bangkok as well as Macau.

Mr Lanni said in a statement on Monday: "We are pleased to be entering the Macau market... We have always said we would like to participate in Macau under the right circumstances."

Analysts believe the time is right for foreign casino operators to enter Macau as the number of tourists, especially those from the Chinese mainland, keeps growing.

"These guys [international gambling companies] are definitely seeing the upward stage of the curve," said an analyst covering the gambling industry. "The potential of Macau is tremendous if you look at the number of tourists."

Macau attracted 11.9m tourists last year and 3.8m visitors in the first quarter of this year, half of whom were from the mainland.

Macau is trying to stay ahead of neighbours in leading Asia's gambling market, where Singapore and Thailand have both started considering to legalise gambling to boost tourism. As the main industry in Macau, gambling contributed two-thirds of Macau's government tax revenues last year.

[SeeMacau]

That is just the proposal .. so i don't think you can find any pics at the moment

[SeeMacau]

When the cavernous Sands Macau casino opened this summer it was hailed as the glitzy, high-tech vanguard for an army of Las Vegas tycoons hoping to tap the fast-growing Asian gambling market.

But unfortunately for the US owner, a local card shark has stolen the show from the imported chorus girls and dragon dancers, with a baccarat scam that netted 30 million Hong Kong dollars (US$3.85 million).

The sting, one of the biggest in Macau's history, took place last week but was only discovered on Tuesday, when casino managers checked footage from surveillance cameras.

novice croupiers

The perpetrator, identified only as Wong, is said to have swapped cards with accomplices to build up a multimillion-dollar winning streak without arousing suspicion among the novice croupiers working on the casino's 277 gaming tables.

Given Wong's reputation, it was a surprise that he was even allowed into the Sands. According to the South China Morning Post, the Hong Kong man had been barred by several gambling establishments in Macau and refused permission to board floating casinos off Singapore.

But the owner of the Sands, Sheldon Adelson, a Las Vegas mogul, is a relative newcomer to the former Portuguese colony, where 70 percent of tax revenues come from gambling.

He was the first rival to break the 50-year monopoly of the local tycoon Stanley Ho.

It would have been easy for the swindler to mingle in the vast crowds attracted by the new establishment, which boasts 93,000m2 of gambling space and a 36m chandelier.

Since it opened in May the Sands is said to have attracted 45,000 gamblers each day.

`highly embarrassing'

Sackings have followed the sting. According to the South China Morning Post, at least one executive has already been fired over this "highly embarrassing" incident.

Wong's fate is as yet unclear.

Police refused to confirm reports that he had been released on bail due to a lack of evidence against him.

He appears to have cashed in most of his chips. According to the Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily, the casino had time to block the last of his winner's checks -- worth HK$5 million. Wong is said to have complained vociferously when the bank refused to pay out.

[hkskyline]

Wynn casino on 2009 deadline
Zach Coleman, HK Standard

Wynn Resorts must finish the second phase of its planned Macau casino resort by July 2009 under the terms of the company's land concession contract with the government, filed on Wednesday with United States regulators.

After much hesitation, Wynn Resorts broke ground on the first phase of the resort in June across the street from the Casino Lisboa. The company must complete the US$705 million (HK$5.5 billion) first phase by the end of 2006 according to its gaming concession.

Chairman Steve Wynn said in June that the government had indicated it would not be overly strict about the deadline, but the land contract says that if Wynn Resorts misses the deadlines for either phase, the company will be fined up to 5,000 patacas (HK$5,000) a day for delays of less than 60 days with fines doubling for delays of 60-120 days.

The first phase is to have 400 guest rooms, 200 suites and 100,000 square feet of gaming space. The second phase will add guest rooms and parking but not gaming space, according to the land contract.

Wynn Resorts' filing also said the company extended a US$25 million loan to its Macau subsidiary last month.

Separately, Las Vegas Sands said Garry Saunders has joined as vice-president for international operations. On Tuesday, MetroNews reported he had been recruited to oversee the company's Macau operations.

Spokeswoman Alpha Padilla added that Thuy Trinh, who has been managing the Macau operations since last autumn, has not resigned from his post as chief operating officer.

The Sands Macau is Las Vegas Sands' only overseas outpost at the moment, but the US company is developing the larger Venetian Macau resort as part of its US$5 billion-US$10 billion Cotai Strip project.

In March, Las Vegas Sands signed an agreement with Britain's Glasgow Rangers and Sheffield United football clubs to help them develop gaming facilities.

The company is also exploring opportunities to open its own casinos in the United Kingdom.

5 August 2004 / 03:26 AM