Articles

Hong Kong considers casino resort

Hong Kong could be the latest south-east Asian city to welcome gambling as regional officials admitted that they were considering opening a new luxury casino complex.

The city is keen to rake in its fair share of gambling revenues following the success of similar ventures in nearby Macau, with officials eager to capitalise on the benefits such a resort would provide to tourist numbers.

Writing in a local newspaper, leader of the Liberal party James Tien said that legislators rejecting the idea would constitute a "rash and unnecessary gamble with Hong Kong's economic future".

However, with casinos still illegal in the city, and anti-gambling groups likely to provide strong opposition to the motion, the proposals are far from concrete.

The upsurge in Asian gambling has seen a wave of countries, including Japan, Taiwan and Thailand, considering similar proposals. Nations such as Malaysia and the Philippines already have pro-casino laws in place.

The success of the Macau casinos have led to tourism rates increasing by 15 per cent, it was announced earlier this week.


© Adfero Ltd