Kasinotalous kiinalaisin erityispiirtein

Kuulin juuri Shenzhenissä huhun että jonnekin aavikolle keskelle köyhää läntistä Kiinaa rakennetaan casino, osana alueen talouden kehittämistoimia. Uhkapelaaminen on ollut Kiinassa kiellettyä.

Tässä on varmasti ollut innoittajana Macao, joka palautui 1999 Kiinan hallintaan autonomisena erityishallintoalueena, oltuaan 442 vuotta Portugalin siirtomaa. Aavikkosijaintia lienee inspiroinut Las Vegas...

Xinhua kirjoitti toukokuussa 2006:

• The region's GDP growth is to range between 15 percent and 20 percent in the first quarter... The Macao's economy growth relies much on the gaming industry, which dominates over 35 percent of the region's GDP... As the visitor flow is keeping getting stronger, the casino industry will keep its rising trend, ensuring the 2006 GDP growth rate a two-digit bottom line, the Macao Daily News predicted.
  

Answers.com kirjoittaa:

• Total gambling capacity, measured in gaming tables, is planned to grow by about 300% over the next 5 to 8 years.
• Much of Macau's textile industry may move to the mainland as the Multi-Fiber Agreement is phased out. The territory may have to rely more on gambling and trade-related services to generate growth.
• Macau's explosive double-digit economic boom began in 2003. The GDP growth in 2004 of 28% was driven by foreign investments associated with the expansion of the gaming and related industries, increasing tourist arrivals from China and government-led infrastructure development.
• Gambling has been licensed since 1850 and has always been an important source of revenue for the government. In the early 1960s, gambling provided 50% of Macau's official revenue.
• GDP - purchasing power parity - $11.5 billion (2005 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 16.3% (2006 Qtr. 2) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,300 (2005 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.1% industry: 7.2% services: 92.7% (2002 est)
  

Macaossa on noin 500000 asukasta.