Casino Grand Lisboa, the 25th casino in China's Macao Special
Administrative Region (MSAR), opened?in Macao?on
Sunday.
The casino complex, located in downtown Macao, features 240
gaming tables and 480 slot machines, but without the regular setup
of VIP rooms for the highrollers.
The hotel section boasts 420 guest rooms and suites, a number of
dining venues specializing in a big variety of western and Chinese
styles and luxury boutiques.
Casino Grand Lisboa, another flagship of local gaming czar
Stanley Ho, is widely seen as the tycoon's counterattack to the
foreign investments in the industry.
"The Grand Lisboa combines the best of our heritage with the
world's latest technology," Ho said while addressing the opening
ceremony, which grouped thousands of celebrities and gamblers.
Macao, with a population of 500,800, has a 150-year history of
gaming industry and is the only part of China where casino gaming
is legitimate.
Direct tax paid by the casinos dominates over 70 percent of the
MSAR government's yearly revenue.
(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2007)