Macao

9 October 2025
The NBA holds preseason matches in Macao on Oct. 10 and 12, marking a symbolic return to China after a six-year hiatus.
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te visits the Taipei Aerospace & Defense Technology Exhibition in Taipei on Sept. 19.
Your Week in Asia

Taiwan president's speech, Malaysia budget, NBA preseason in Macao

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

6 October 2025
Au Kam-san, one of the few open proponents of democracy in Macao, speaks with Nikkei Asia in late 2024. (Photo by Kenji Kawase)
Politics

Macao democrat arrested for alleged foreign collusion

Gambling hub tightens control as city prepares for legislative election

31 July 2025
Visitors from mainland China walk in front of a casino in Macao. The territory has seen an influx of funds from wealthy Chinese.
Politics

Macao 'satellite casinos' to close as China cracks down on dark money

11 sites to shut by year-end as end of grace period looms

11 June 2025
Melco Resorts & Entertainment is one of six major players operating casinos in Macao, the world's largest gambling hub. (Photo by Michelle Chan)
Travel & Leisure

Casino giant Melco rolls dice on Thailand amid legalization push

Uncertainties in Macao drive key operator to explore new markets

2 March 2025
Galaxy Entertainment Group is a leading casino operator in Macao, dubbed the gambling capital of the world.
Travel & Leisure

Casino operator Galaxy Entertainment eyes Thailand as profit jumps 28%

Mainland Chinese traffic to Macao rebounds, but VIP demand stays weak

28 February 2025
Chinese President Xi Jinping hails the success of Macao under the "One Country, Two Systems" formula in a speech on Dec. 20.
Politics

Security is name of game in Macao as Xi marks 25 years since handover

Chinese president urges casino capital to spread its economic bets

20 December 2024
Self-made Hong Kong tycoon Lui Che-woo, left, nurtured his eldest son Francis Lui Yiu-tung, right, as his successor at flagship Macao casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group. (Photo by Kensaku Ihara)
Companies

Lui Che-woo death spotlights casino tycoon's succession planning

Self-made billionaire prepared more than a decade ago to divvy up his empire

12 November 2024
Galaxy Entertainment Group Chairman Lui Che Woo, pictured here in 2018, was one of Hong Kong's richest men.
Obituaries

Lui Che-woo, casino tycoon and Galaxy Entertainment founder, dead at 95

Billionaire built a business empire in China spanning property and gambling

12 November 2024
Au Kam-san served for two decades as a Macao legislator after the handover. He retired in 2021, before his successor and peers were disqualified from running for office. He remains unusually outspoken about democracy. (Photo by Kenji Kawase)  
Interview

Macao democracy advocate sees tough path for city's new chief

Au Kam-san says Beijing's emphasis on security will complicate economic agenda

14 October 2024
Sam Hou-fai, Macao's former top judge, is set to become the chief executive of the world's leading casino hub. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP and Ken Kobayashi)
Politics

Macao's predetermined election reverberates across casinos and Hong Kong

Sam Hou-fai set to be first chief executive born outside former Portuguese colony

12 October 2024
Sam Hou-fai, center, the former president of Macao's Court of Final Appeal, looks set to become the city's next chief executive after a one-candidate election.
Your Week in Asia

ASEAN summit, Macao's lonely election, 7-Eleven operator earnings

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

6 October 2024
Macao's former top judge, Sam Hou-fai, announces his candidacy for chief executive on Aug. 28.
Politics

Macao's former top judge to run unopposed in leadership race

Sam Hou-fai nominated by 96% of voting committee

13 September 2024
Macao in June: Some mainland Chinese are believed to use casinos in Macao as a way to circumvent strict capital controls by Beijing. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Politics

Macao casinos rake in revenue as authorities target money changers

Unlicensed services for gamblers seen as path to skirt Beijing's capital controls

1 September 2024
Many companies showed off their products at the G2E Asia casino expo held in Macao, on June 4. (Photo by Kensaku Ihara)
Travel & Leisure

Macao expo highlights casinos' search for post-pandemic growth

Osaka's plans for integrated resort in 2030 gains attention

5 June 2024
Secretary for Attractiveness Frederic Genta is pitching the wealthy European principality of Monaco to Asian investors. (Monaco's Government Communication Department)
International relations

Monaco 'attractiveness secretary' woos Asian investors on Macao visit

Prince Albert II's microstate bets on ties between Monte Carlo and Macao casinos

16 April 2024
Jockeys compete in the last races at the Macau Jockey Club on March 30, ending over 40 years of racing in the former Portuguese colony known for its casinos.
Travel & Leisure

Macao horse racing ends as casino income hits post-COVID high

Fans blame operator for sport's demise in gambling hub

1 April 2024
An MGM Cotai employee prepares for the opening of the casino in Macau, China. Investors are beginning to see Macau casinos' bonds as "promising."
Markets

Bond investors turn from China property to Macao casinos

Tourism recovery supports revenues but mainland's slow recovery still a concern

16 November 2023
Visitors gather at the Casino Lisboa in Macao. The operator, SJM Holdings, narrowed its losses during the first half.
Travel & Leisure

Junket agents return to lure VIPs to Macao's casinos

Industry brokers bringing back high rollers despite Beijing's crackdown

9 September 2023
GZCCI Group invests in, constructs and operates urban infrastructure. (Source photo by Getty and logo from GZCCI Group's website)
DealStreetAsia

Chinese state-owned company to invest $1.4b in Greater Bay Area

GZCCI Group sets up fund for cultural industry projects in southern China

27 June 2023
Casino Lisboa in Macao is operated by SJM Holdings. First-quarter gaming revenue in the city got a boost from China's reopening, but uncertainties linger. 
Travel & Leisure

Macao casinos' reopening boost blunted by junket crackdown

Recovery in gaming pushes up revenue but high rollers stay away

22 May 2023
The opening ceremony of the Beyond Expo in Macao was held May 10. (Photo by Takashi Kawakami)
Technology

Macao expo touts Chinese advances in AI and sustainability

Event at Venetian Macao opens with 600 companies including Alibaba, Huawei

10 May 2023
Khaosan Road, a popular tourism spot in Bangkok. Thailand looks to boost tourism by making casinos legal. (Photo by Kosuke Inoue)
Travel & Leisure

Thailand weighs bet on legalizing casinos to draw more tourists

Las Vegas Sands among the players interested in potential new gambling destination

25 February 2023
Macao's landmark Casino Lisboa. The city's VIP gambling business suffered a sharp downturn during the pandemic.
Travel & Leisure

Macao slaps new tax on VIP gambling business

Junket operators say 5% levy on casino commissions will 'kill' sector

8 February 2023
A man walks in front of Macao's landmark Casino Lisboa. The gambling hub's casino-dependent economy was battered by the pandemic.
Travel & Leisure

Macao's casino economy woes deepen pandemic poverty

Bettors return to gambling hub's glitzy venues but rebound long way off

4 February 2023
Macao's gambling industry, a key pillar of its economy, has taken a beating from COVID and a crackdown on VIP bettors.
Business Spotlight

Macao gambles on diversification after crackdown on high rollers

VIP rooms out, vanilla tourism in as city seeks to steer economy in new direction

27 January 2023
Former Suncity Group boss Alvin Chau in 2017. The father of four was seen as a pillar of the city before his arrest. (File photo by Getty Images)
Travel & Leisure

Macao junkets king Alvin Chau sentenced to 18 years in prison

Suncity Group founder faced raft of charges over running 'criminal empire'

18 January 2023
Alvin Chau was arrested in November 2021 by Macao police. (Nikkei montage/Reuters/Getty Images)
Travel & Leisure

Macao set to hand down verdict in junkets king Alvin Chau case

Suncity founder faces hundreds of charges linked to claims he ran criminal empire

17 January 2023
China is set to announce on Tuesday GDP growth rates for the last quarter and the 2022 full year, along with other key economic data. In December it scrapped its zero-COVID strategy, which had weighed on growth.
Your Week in Asia

Davos 2023, China GDP, Chinese Lunar New Year starts

Your weekly lineup of Asia's biggest business and political events

15 January 2023
The Grand Lisboa casino in Macao. The Chinese territory is one of the world's largest gambling hubs.
Travel & Leisure

Macao casino revenue plunges 51% to 18-year low amid zero-COVID

Territory poised for recovery from 2022 slump as China eases pandemic curbs

5 January 2023