I visited the Macau Sands Hotel Casino two weeks after it opened.

Gambling and the Law�: Casinos Coming to Asia: "I visited the Sands two weeks after it opened. It is a magnificent, western-style casino, which has been enormously successful by testing and, where necessary, disregarding accepted wisdom. For example, it was said that Asian gamblers would not play slot machines. The Sands installed a few video poker machines in a dark corner. The games have proven to be so popular that the casino has ordered hundreds more. How gambling will spread depends almost entirely upon the unique laws and politics of the region. Until recently, residents of mainland China could visit Macau only as part of a tour group. China now allows its residents to travel there independently, and the exit and entry point between Zhuhai and Macau has become one of the busiest border crossings in the world. A string of casinos is being built in Macau, intentionally designed to conjure up comparisons with the Las Vegas Strip. Laws will first have to be changed. For example, the traditional Macau casino was nothing more than a room with table games. It made sense to keep out minors at the door. But hotel casinos have restaurants, shows, and gamblers who bring their children. Tom Smock has told me that legislation is already pending to let minors enter the buildings. Steve Wynn forced another change in the law, when he refused to begin construction of his massive hotel-casino project until the Macau government allowed casinos to issue credit to players."