The gaming epicenters of the world in Las Vegas and Macau share multiple similarities, but it’s their performance that has pundits stumped. At the one end of the spectrum is Sin City – the inimitable palace of gaming dreams on the North American continent. Long considered by many as the home of gambling in a glittering and opulent locale, Vegas is truly the stuff of legend. And this reputation looks set to continue well into the future.

Thousands of miles away in the busting heart of Asia, is Macau – another up-and-coming gambling power center This region of the world has been witness to unprecedented economic growth as the Asian tigers of Hong Kong, China and Singapore have steamrolled the competition with blistering productivity, prosperity and pace. When these two regions are pitted against one another there seems to be very little separating them, but a closer look reveals striking differences in performance.

On paper and in the official records, Vegas Strip gaming revenue dropped 9.6% in February 2011 for the 4th straight monthly decline. The city has been hit hard by the challenges facing Americans With staggering unemployment, uncertainty in the job market and comments discouraging gambling from prominent politicians, the sector has taken a hard knock. It is estimated that total revenues during the 2010 – 2011 period ending in February dropped from $568 million to $513 million. And punting also dropped a whopping 6.3% during January & February 2011 from the same period a year earlier.

The good news is that the top 4 heavy hitters in Caesars, Wynn Resorts, Las Vegas Sands MGM Resorts International believe that the storm has passed and good times are due to come rolling in. And if we look at Nevada in general, then total revenues from gaming operations dropped to some $769.5 million. Vegas did enjoy a spike in convention attendance – a great precursor to gaming revenues – of some 37%. And some 37 million people visited the city during 2010.

Across the world, it’s Macau that is powering ahead as the tiger of the Asian gaming realm. In fact the entire region is dependent on gaming and close to 40% of the GDP of Macau is comprised of gambling revenue. Throughout the 90s this figure has remained true and in 1998 some 44.5% of total government revenue streams was derived from the tax on gambling activity. Online gaming has taken a sizable chunk out of this market and this was felt as early as 1999. By 2002 concession deals were made with Galaxy Casino and Wynn – opening the market to further competition and enhanced tax revenues. The level of tourism spiked and to this day almost 70% of gaming revenue is a direct consequence of Macau’s bustling gambling trade. Provided that Macau’s neighbors are thriving, the gaming industry will continue to offer big returns to this nation. For example the famed City of Dreams Casino is the only part of China where casinos are 100% legal. In December 2010 gaming revenue was up at $2.36 billion a massive spike from the same period a year earlier. More good news is that household names in Wynn Resorts and the Las Vegas Sands are able to maintain their enterprises in both Vegas and Macau – so either way players and punters are well served!

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