Although I rarely gamble or bet, I’ve been to Las Vegas many, many times — for work-related conventions, sports events, birthday celebrations, bachelor parties, etc.   Vegas is one of the great and most fascinating cities in the world — it’s “always on.”

So, I had to take the opportunity to check out the “Las Vegas of Asia,” which is Macau, located right outside of Hong Kong.   They have these high-speed turbo boats which make the 40-kilometer trek in about an hour.  It’s very convenient.

I’ve been reading that Macau has surpassed Vegas in regard to total gambling revenue but Vegas still has greater revenue from hotel stays.   But, many of Vegas’ top operators have or are building places in Macau.

I was expecting something similar to the Vegas strip, but that’s not the case (I think primarily due to the lack of land).   But, I did venture over to the Venetian, brand new Hard Rock Hotel / City of Dreams, Wynn, etc.

These hotels were pretty amazing — and very similarly to Vegas, they are ostentatious and over-the-top.   Just spectacularly built.

But, in addition to being built alongside each other like on the Vegas strip, the number of entertainment shows seems limited.  I’m sure it’ll increase as time goes on.  But, the main way they make the money is from people playing at the tables.  And, table after table was filled with players.

I only stayed for a few hours but now I have a better idea of Asia’s Vegas.  Oh, and since I don’t gamble much, I only spent $10 while in Macao – on a glass of wine at the Hard Rock.