Gambling has been officially illegal in the mainland since 1949 but not in Macau, a fact that has helped shape the latter’s cultural identity while also complicating the relationship it has with Beijing.
Junket operators can handle everything from their client’s luxury accommodation and travel to even offering loans to play with. The city’s VIP gamers contribute more than 43% of the sector’s earnings, in large part through junket operators-middlemen who facilitate gambling for wealthy, Chinese punters. Read More: Can Asia’s Gambling Industry Continue to Thrive?īut the region’s revenues have notoriously relied on China’s high-rolling betters, which, in some cases, include state officials.
