A huge 100,000m2 reclamation that has been earmarked to house 20 casinos and hotels in the Cotai Strip has been strictly zoned for commercial use only, depriving developers of the chance to build holiday condominiums near their properties.
One alternative is to build across the border in Zhuhai, a city that emerged in the shadow of Macau, like Shenzhen did near Hong Kong.
"Why don't people live there already? Because the border is not a 24-hour border," said Richard Yue, chief executive of private equity firm ARCH Capital, which is investing heavily in Macau.
"We have an ideal commuter city across the border," he added, "but red tape is preventing that."
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