Macau Daily Times – As Macau’s gambling revenue hits the remarkable value of USD45 billion, casino operators also need to go beyond gambling and closed-door VIP rooms to draw the Chinese upper middle classes’ attention toward other forms of entertainment. According to a feature story published yesterday in UK newspaper The Guardian, “investors say Macau’s bet on the continued prosperity of the middle class is a safe one.”
A special correspondent – sent to investigate how this peculiar economy has been shaped around the casino industry over the past years – describes Macau as “a fitting Chinese counterpoint, a temple to the acquisition of extreme wealth by any means necessary.”
But, as he points out, two-thirds of Macau’s gambling revenue still comes from closed-door VIP rooms, which are controlled by “junket operators” – also known as VIP gaming promoters. “Over the past year, the once-untouchable junkets have felt the chill of President Xi Jinping’s crackdown on corruption among party officials.”
The Guardian portrays Macau as a city trying to reinvent itself, with casinos providing not only gaming activities but also “lavish resorts, high-end shopping malls and elaborate stage shows.”
Glenn McCartney, a tourism expert working at the University of Macau, told The Guardian: “An accountant would say, looking at the balance sheets, that this thing is far from broken (…) but when you go beyond the economics, you realize you shouldn’t have all of your eggs in one basket.”

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