Asian Countries to Legalize Casino Gambling

Gambling seems to be on the march everywhere but in the United States. If there's life on other planets, I bet online gambling is really taking off there. That is, unless the Bush administration has anything to do with it.

Nowhere is the gambling revolution growing faster than in Asia. Asian gambling laws are being considered in virtually every leading far eastern nation. For those who haven't been paying attention, Las Vegas is no longer the gambling capitol of the world. Macau is.

MACAU

Macau, or Macao, has long been a gambling mecca. Since the 1850's, gambling has been legal in Macau, which is a Chinese administrative district down the coast someways from Hong Kong. In the insensitive parlance of yesteryear, it was known as the "Monte Carlo of the Orient".

But the last few years have seen Macao transcend its traditional status as a center for gaming. According to published reports, Macao now has surpassed Las Vegas in gambling revenues.

ASIAN GAMBLING LAWS

Other Asian states have taken notice. Asian online gambling has been booming for years. With that popularity, land-based casinos are starting to gain acceptance.

In the search for state revenues, economically robust governments in South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore have begun to consider gambling-friendly legislation. It won't be long before east Asia is a gamblers paradise.

THE PHILIPPINES

In the Philippines, the government is planning a big casino complex in Manila Bay. They expect gambling revenues to exceed one billion dollars per year in the Philippines.

JAPAN

Japan is considering motions to legalize casino gambling. Long a hotbed for pachinko gambling, Japan is considering legalized casino gambling to draw in more tourist dollars.

CHINA

And while China allows gambling only in Macau, it is considering a second gambling location on Hanan Island. As the article states, Chinese have "gambling in their blood".

THE UNITED STATES

Which makes one wonder why the United States is going in the opposite direction. While Asia and Europe make it easier for land-based and online gambling interests, U.S. lawmakers passed the UIGEA, which banned most online gambling.

It would seem that, like so many other issues, the U.S. is swimming against the stream. That would be fine, if everybody else was crazy. But it seems like the rest of the world is going about the gambling issue the smart way.

I guess we're the country which tried Prohibition, so this is nothing new.

Meanwhile, gambling history marches on the Asian side of the Pacific rim.

Asian Countries to Legalize Casino Gambling