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Macau versus Las Vegas

NYT is reporting that gambling revenues at Macau have surpassed those of Las Vegas. This comes as no surprise if you’ve ever been to Macau. As the article states, the per table revenue is seven times higher than that of a table in Vegas and it’s not hard to see why.

First of all, there is almost no entertainment in the Macau casinos. They’re almost all gambling. In the Sands on the second floor there is a cover band, but that’s about it. No Cirque du Soleil shows, no Penn and Teller, none of that nonsense, just tables.

Second, seeing just how much people gamble is intense. On regular tables (e.g. not high-roller rooms), people are playing per hand like 500 HKD or a 1000 HKD, which is much much higher than I’ve seen in Vegas. Even further, when you look at the guy who’s playing next to you, you’re pretty sure he just arrived from mainland China is probably not a particularly wealthy person. There are plenty of folks in there who I could venture to guess are just farmers.