The MGM Grand Macau was to open its doors yesterday, becoming the latest Las Vegas-backed casino to crowd into the tiny Chinese gambling enclave hoping to lure China's growing middle class.
The US$1.25 billion MGM Grand is a joint venture between Las Vegas casino operator MGM Mirage and Pansy Ho (
It will vie for high rollers with dozens of casinos already open in Macau -- the only place in China where gambling is legal. Last year Macau raked in more gaming revenue than the Las Vegas Strip.
PHOTO: AFP
Stanley Ho ran the casino business in Macau for 40 years until 2001 -- two years after the Portuguese colony returned to Chinese rule -- when the government broke up his monopoly and handed out gaming concessions to foreign interests.
American Sheldon Adelson was the first to enter the territory, opening the Sands Macau in 2004, and then this August the US$2.4 billion Venetian, a Las Vegas style mega casino-resort complete with Italian gondolas punting down indoor canals.
Pansy Ho said the 600-room MGM Grand will target the wealthiest gamblers, called "VIP customers" in the business, who are interested in top-end shopping and entertainment as well as gambling.
She dismissed concerns that the casino was squeezing into a corner of Macau's main island that was already packed with luxury gambling resorts, including some run by her family.
"These few casinos will actually work in conjunction to present a really formidable proposition to all VIP customers that this should be the center of the high-rolling gaming experience," she said in Macau last week during a preview tour of the hotel.
The 35-story MGM Grand boasts a huge atrium with a 6.5m high glass ceiling that is modeled after the central train station in Lisbon, a nod to the territory's Portuguese heritage. Abstract hand-blown glass sculptures by US artist Dale Chihuly are scattered around the plush lobby.
The hotel offers 400 gambling tables, 800 slot machines and 16 private gaming rooms, comparable to its closest rivals, US tycoon Steve Wynn's Wynn Macau casino and the Crown Macau.
Both the US$1.1 billion Wynn and the Crown Macau, a joint venture between Australia's Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd and Hong Kong-based Melco International Development Ltd, run by Pansy's brother, Lawrence Ho, have positioned themselves as high-end casinos.
The Grand is MGM's first entry into Asia. While the jury is still out on whether Asian gamblers will respond to the same type of non-casino entertainment as those in Las Vegas, it was expected to be a successful launch, said Jonathan Galaviz, a partner at Globalysis Ltd, a Las Vegas-based consultancy.
GAINING STEAM: The scheme initially failed to gather much attention, with only 188 cards issued in its first year, but gained popularity amid the COVID-19 pandemic Applications for the Employment Gold Card have increased in the past few years, with the card having been issued to a total of 13,191 people from 101 countries since its introduction in 2018, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. Those who have received the card have included celebrities, such as former NBA star Dwight Howard and Australian-South Korean cheerleader Dahye Lee, the NDC said. The four-in-one Employment Gold Card combines a work permit, resident visa, Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) and re-entry permit. It was first introduced in February 2018 through the Act Governing Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及雇用法),
RESILIENCE: Deepening bilateral cooperation would extend the peace sustained over the 45 years since the Taiwan Relations Act, Greene said Taiwan-US relations are built on deep economic ties and shared values, American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Raymond Greene said yesterday, adding that strengthening supply chain security in critical industries, enhancing societal resilience through cooperation and deepening partnerships are key to ensuring peace and stability for Taiwan in the years ahead. Greene made the remarks at the National Security Youth Forum, organized by National Taiwan University’s National Security and Strategy Studies Institution in Taipei. In his address in Mandarin Chinese, Greene said the Taiwan-US relationship is built on deep economic ties and shared interests, and grows stronger through the enduring friendship between
CAUTION URGED: Xiaohongshu and Douyin — the Chinese version of TikTok — are tools the Chinese government uses for its ‘united front’ propaganda, the MAC said Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) yesterday urged people who use Chinese social media platforms to be cautious of being influenced by Beijing’s “united front” propaganda and undermining Taiwan’s sovereignty. Chiu made the remarks in response to queries about Chinese academic Zhang Weiwei (張維為) saying that as young Taiwanese are fond of interacting on Chinese app Xiaohongshu (小紅書, known as RedNote in English), “after unification with China, it would be easier to govern Taiwan than Hong Kong.” Zhang is professor of international relations at Shanghai’s Fudan University and director of its China Institute. When giving a speech at China’s Wuhan
ENHANCE DETERRENCE: Taiwan has to display ‘fierce resolve’ to defend itself for China to understand that the costs of war outweigh potential gains, Koo said Taiwan’s armed forces must reach a high level of combat readiness by 2027 to effectively deter a potential Chinese invasion, Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo (顧立雄) said in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) published yesterday. His comments came three days after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the US Senate that deterring a Chinese attack on Taiwan requires making a conflict “cost more than what it’s worth.” Rubio made the remarks in response to a question about US policy on Taiwan’s defense from Republican Senator John Cornyn, who said that Chinese