世界诞生了的赌场新贵。去年，中国澳门，一个远离阿斯维加斯的城市，在赌博业的收入首次超越阿斯维加斯，成为世界赌博业的领头羊。
大量美国公司涌入澳门开设酒店和赌场，使这个前葡萄牙殖民地经历了一次巨大的经济繁荣。但是有些观察家已经开始怀疑，这次淘金潮将能持续多久。
在The Grand Lisboa（葡京娱乐场）里，所有的老虎机都由《西游记》及中国古典文学人物装饰，布置。但是中头奖的声音无需任何修饰。
85岁的亿万富翁Stanley Ho（澳门赌王何鸿燊），在2002年前，已统治澳门赌博业长达40年之久。葡京娱乐场则是他赌博生涯中新的里程碑。
何鸿燊的大多数客户是男的，来自香港，曾经都沉迷于赌博。而来自大陆的超市老板Mao Jianhua（31岁），是典型的澳门新生代游客，他不只是来澳门赌博。
“我来澳门，只是为了快乐和娱乐，”Mao Jianhua说道：“我不是一个合格的赌徒，我刚才只输了一点钱。现在从大陆来这非常方便，我们在边境上公车很快就到这里了。”
改变澳门形象去年，根据澳门博彩监察协调局的数据，澳门的赌博业收入达69.5亿美元，比阿斯维加斯高出约2亿美元澳门赌博业最大的投资者来自阿斯维加斯的巨头Sheldon Adelson，其斥资24亿美元建立的Venetian Macau（澳门威尼斯人），规模是阿斯维加斯同名店的两倍。整个项目有3000间套房，100万平方英尺（约9.3万平方米）的会议中心， 1.5万座位的舞台以及人造的威尼斯水道，和意大利本土的船夫。
澳门威尼斯人的总裁Marc Brown认为美国游戏公司正改变澳门的形象，此前，澳门的赌博业一度被认为等同于烂赌成性与有组织的犯罪。
“对于以前来说，如果你不去赌博，你还会去澳门吗？”Marc Brown说道：“其实，香港有着高级饭店，宾馆，休闲胜地及购物中心等丰富的娱乐资源。而这些设施资源，在我们这里，你同样能享受到，而且你可以选择无需踏入赌场。
诚然，赌博业仍占澳门整体经济活动的80%，其中70%的赌博业收入来自那些在VIP房间里，一掷千金的社会高阶级赌徒们。
尽管有大量在资金流入，但澳门居民远不满足。
译文The Venetian Macau’s features include an ornate Italianate colonnade inside its entrance. The sprawling resort has 3,000 hotel rooms, a 15,000-seat arena and fake Venetian canals. Courtesy Venetian MacauEnlargeThe more than 700 slot machines at the Grand Lisboa casino are decorated with Chinese literary and cultural themes. Courtesy Sociedade De Jogos De Macau, S.A.
EnlargeAnthony Kuhn, NPRPedestrians walk through Senado Square in the heart of Macau’s historical district.
All Things Considered, November 9, 2007 · The world has a new gambling capital, and it’s a long way from Las Vegas. For the first time last year, the Chinese territory of Macau took in more money from gaming than the Vegas strip.
The former Portuguese colony is experiencing an economic boom as American companies rush in to open new hotels and casinos. But some observers are already wondering how long the gold rush can last.
The slot machines at Macau’s Grand Lisboa casino are adorned with figures from Journey to the West and other Chinese literary classics. But the sound of a jackpot needs no translation.
The Grand Lisboa is the new flagship of Stanley Ho, the legendary 85-year-old billionaire who held a monopoly on gambling in Macau for 40 years until 2002.
Most of Ho’s customers used to be hardcore gamblers, most of them men from neighboring Hong Kong. Supermarket owner Mao Jianhua, 31, is typical of the new breed of visitor to Macau. He’s from mainland China, and he didn’t come just to gamble.
”I’m just here for the fun of it, for entertainment,” he said. “I’m not a big gambler. I just lost a little money today. It’s now very convenient to come here from the mainland. A bus picks us up at the border and brings us here.”Changing Macau’s ImageLast year, Macau’s casinos raked in $6.95 billion in revenues, according to the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau. That’s roughly $200 million more than Vegas.
The biggest newcomer is Las Vegas magnate Sheldon Adelson’s $2.4 billion Venetian Macau. Twice the size of its Las Vegas namesake, the sprawling resort features 3,000 hotel rooms, a 1 million-square-foot convention center, a 15,000-seat arena and fake Venetian canals, complete with imported Italian gondoliers.
Venetian Macau’s president, Marc Brown, says American gaming companies are changing Macau’s image, which used to be synonymous with hardcore gambling and organized crime.
”If you didn’t gamble, you didn’t come to Macau,” Brown said of the old era. “Why would you? I mean, basically, Hong Kong has great restaurants, great hotels, great spas, great shopping. That’s what we created here. And you can spend a very enjoyable few days here and not set foot in a casino.”Of course, gambling still accounts for 80 percent of Macau’s economic activity. And 70 percent of the casinos’ revenues come from high rollers, who bet tens of thousands of dollars a hand at baccarat tables in private VIP rooms.
Despite the influx of money, many Macau residents are far from content.