TESTIMONIALS 48
Macau memories Gambling has a long history in Macau, dating back to about 1850 when rulers in the Portuguese trading post decided to legalise gambling to generate more revenue.
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or more than one hundred years there was little growth, with the fragmented market consisting mainly of an assortment of fantan houses. The first real revolution came in 1962 when the government awarded the monopoly to Stanley Ho’s Sociedad de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau. Known as the King of Gambling, Ho introduced western-style games and modernised the transport service between Macau and Hong Kong, bringing millions of gamers into the territory. In 2002, history took another turn when the government, again seeking more revenue after a period of economic instability and triad wars, liberalised the
Asia Gaming Briefings | December 2019
market and awarded the six concessions. What happened next is now common knowledge, with the market exploding to become the world’s largest gambling hub. In this section of our 20th anniversary edition of Asia Gaming Briefings, we ask some of the people who helped build the modern Macau to take a trip down memory lane and write about their early experiences. They share their first impressions of what was back then a far sleepier city, together with the biggest changes that they have witnessed in the evolution of gaming in Macau. They tell us some of their “only in Macau” moments and look into the crystal ball to see where it’s heading over the next 20 years.
