Online Gambling in Macau
Gambling in Macau has been legal since the 1850s when the Portuguese government legalized the activity in the colony. And today, Macau is known as the "Monte Carlo of the Orient" or the "Las Vegas of the East" because of its booming casino industry.
Before, only Chinese games were played in Macau casinos, the most popular of which is Fan-Tan (also known as Stops or Sevens). Western-style casino games were introduced only in the 20th century.
Today, gambling in Macau is generally divided into three categories: casino games, horse racing and greyhound racing. Sports betting and a number of lotteries are also available.
Currently, Macau has granted six operating concessions for land-based casinos.
However, online gambling is not specifically addressed by Macau's gambling laws. There are no clear measures on whether or not Macau residents can gamble online, unlike in mainland China, where online gambling is expressly prohibited.
Thus, Macau residents can readily gamble online. Many Macau-based casinos have online counterparts or are affiliated with online casinos and sports betting sites. Also, many online gambling sites have Chinese translations. In fact some have been tailored fit for Macau online gamblers.
For online casino operators, Macau does not license online gaming operations as current casino concessions laws only cover land-based gaming.
About Macau
Macau, also known as Macao, is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. It is located on the western side of the Pearl River Delta, bordering China's Guangdong province to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east and south.
Macau used to be a colony of Portugal. Portuguese traders first settled in Macau in the 16th century and subsequently administered the region until the handover on December 20, 1999.
Macau covers an area of about 29.5 square kilometers (about 11.39 square miles) and has a population of about 544,600. This makes Macau one of the most densely populated regions in the world.