Why I keep going back to Macau

MANILA, Philippines - Talk about gimmick. The new Sands resort in the Cotai area of Macau opened with a husband and wife team Jade Kindar Martin and Karine Mauffrey walking a tightrope only an inch thick from the tallest tower of the Venetian resort and the Conrad hotel tower of the new Sands Resort Cotai Central then meeting in the middle of the tightrope over half kilometer long (525 meters) suspended 150 meters above the ground to signal the opening. Amid ooohs, aaahs and gasps, the predominantly Chinese crowd numbering in the thousands pushed and shoved their way to the entrance where Sands Cotai central was giving away 2012 golden tokens as an inauguration giveaway. I received a personal invite to the event but didn’t join the crowd as I feared I would get crushed by the crowd.

I first visited Macau in the ’70s. Back then, it was a sleepy Portuguese colony whose only main attractions were the ruins of St. Paul, the yearly Macau Grand Prix and gambling at the few casinos owned by Stanley Ho. I never returned until the ’90s when my compadre and travel buddy Joey de Leon visited for a day. We were quite disappointed because Filipinos and Indonesians were singled out at immigration and led to an office where a myriad of questions was asked why we were visiting. We never returned until 2004 to check the new Sands Casino. We were impressed by how hospitable it felt under Chinese rule. Ever since, Macau has been my choice and I guess for so many Filipinos for a short vacation and relaxation. It’s inexpensive compared to Hong Kong and Singapore and there’s always something new going on. In fact, I make it a point to visit at least once a month.

That’s me in front of Sands Resort Cotai area

When Macau ceased to be a Portuguese territory over a decade ago, so did Stanley Ho’s monopoly on gambling now called “Gaming” worldwide. Six casino operating concessions were made available in 2002 to a select number of investors that included Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn who both had existing casino operations in Las Vegas and Atlantic city. Initially, most of the concession holders were adamant to invest save for casino mogul Sheldon who was very enthusiastic and had a vision of Macau being bigger than Las Vegas in the future. Against advice from his finance people and peers not to, he proceeded building the first foreign owned casino in Macau named Sands and opened May 18, 2004. Financial analysts forecasted he would recover his $240M capital investment in six years if he was lucky. He didn’t only get lucky but he hit the jackpot. He recovered his investment within six months and opened the floodgates for mega casino builders in the territory. In 2006, Macau’s gaming revenues beat Las Vegas and Atlantic City combined by over $1B. Inspired by the Sands phenomenal success, Sheldon built the Venetian Macau which was twice the size of its Las Vegas twin and opened with pomp and regalia in August 2007. His next project the Sands Marina Singapore opened in June 2010 and the current apple of his eye Sands Cotai Central was inaugurated on April 11, 2012. Sheldon is 78 years old and doesn’t plan to stop. His next projects are mega casinos and resorts in Madrid or Barcelona Spain for the European market.

Sheldon Adelson is the brains behind Venetian Macau, Sands Marina Singapore and Sands Cotai Central

Sands Cotai central is located within the Taipa and Coloanne area of Macau beside City of Dreams mega resort owned by Hong Kong-based Melco International and Australian Crown Limited and features three five-star hotels: Grand Hyatt, Crowne and Hard Rock. The complex houses a shopping mall, food court, theaters and a 420,000-square feet casino. Fronting it is Adelson’s crown jewel Venetian resort. It is considered the second biggest Venice in the world (the first is the city of Venice in Italy, of course) and boasts as the biggest single hotel structure in Asia. Another claim to fame of the Venetian in Macau is the largest number of Filipino gondoliers in the world. The new $4.4B-Sands Cotai Central has total of 6,000 rooms and suites within its three flagship hotels; Holiday Inn, Conrad and soon-to-open Sheraton. Nestled in the middle of the interconnected hotels are two humongous casino, shopping mall with over a hundred high-end stores, 20 fine dining restaurants, a food court and a full service spa.

A huge bronze statue called the God of Fortune

I crossed over from the Venetian to the new Sands Cotai central half an hour past 10 p.m. thinking the crowds have thinned but boy was I wrong. There were still thousands playing slots and betting on the tables. I walked around the complex and noticed most stores were closed or probably will open in the next few weeks. Same with the restaurants. Most shops were those that sold expensive watches, jewelry and designer stuff. I won’t be surprised if I see some pawnshop or hock shops similar to those that line Macau’s central gaming area Ave. da Amizade that stay open 24 hours among them. Pawning or selling watches and jewelry seems to be one of the thriving businesses in the territory. Near the main entrance is a huge bronze statue called the God of Fortune weighing a whopping 5,500 pounds where people pray for favorable luck. My wife Mady prayed that he bring us good fortune that night and he did. She won over $5,000 in Hong Kong dollars on the slots by just playing the five-cent slot machines. Next trip to Macau, I will probably pray to him myself.