Macau is going to shake up the casinos on October 6th, 2014 with the latest in smoking enforcements. For the veterans it will be strange and a little uncomfortable seeing these changes where the classic days of the movie star coolly smoking at the games tableis now becoming a long lost relic, a forgotten image.Now a new paradigm is being formed outside of the casinos.

There was a partial push to remove smoking in January 2013, where 50% of the space of the casinos in Macau were to be designated as non-smoking. This did mean a lot of activity then took place where the profitable tables got moved to the smoking side of the casino, the VIP tables and rooms for the High Rollers continued to be smoking.

Macau became the biggest gambling centre in the world in 2006 and so the fear of course is that stopping smoking at the tables has an effect on the revenue that has been seen elsewhere. In the U.S. and Australia the negative effect on revenue ranged from 4% to 20%. This of course amounts to a very large cost to the gambling industry that in 2013 surpassed $45 billion, several times more than Las Vegas gambling, but if the same proportion of revenue loss happens here then this could mean between 2 to 9 billion dollars lost in GDP for Macau.

There are some reports that the casinos will be allocating smoking rooms for the VIP players though, which appears to go against the idea of banning it totally.

China itself holds a third of the total worldwide smokers and so this is going to have a wide impact, in fact 25% of the region of Macau smokes.

Macau as the most densely populated region worldwide, has a large portion, at 10.3%, of its total workforce involved in the gambling industry. The Macau Health Bureau commissioned a survey to be conducted by the University of Macau into the situation and found that now there are 55% of the 1,031 strong casino workforce who do not want to work in rooms where smoking is allowed. A noticeable 12.7% of them (131 workers) said they would do it for more money however. There was a huge proportion of 9 out of 10 of the workforce agreeing to have smoking rooms that had no gambling equipment in them, so the gambler would have to leave the tables and go to the ‘smoking room’. There was no faith in it improving the air quality inside the casino however, with only 36% believing it was possible, but 45% admitting that it really will not make much difference.

What of the old image of the classic film star, the cigar has now gone, or they must now occasionally rush to the ‘smoking room’ for a quick break. Only to be return back to the table a few moments later stinking of ash and being followed by stale clouds of cigar fumes. It appears the magic of smoking has gone and a healthier atmosphere in the casino will become normality very soon. The only place now where smoking may be allowed while gambling is at home, and by engaging in online casino gambling you can recreate the atmosphere of those classic days. Maybe more people will go outside of the casino now to enjoy their gambling, diverting away the money from the classic and into the new paradigm, the external online casinos that operate with no smoking restrictions.

New lesson from Master Zuan Xin himself for the Year of the Wood Horse !
It is a rare occasion , after seven years of silence, that Zuan Xin returns to impart deeper Baccarat Great Learning to all.

Available now is the online app that contains the profound solution to the game elaborated by Zuan Xin. The Xuxu Siyou Four Vivid Ritual Bonfires solution is the phenomenon identified at the deepest level of analysis of the sequences of the runs of the decisions that occur in every baccarat shoe.

You can access Lesson 38 “Happy New Year!” here and do remember to get Zuan Xin Baccarat App for the profound solution to the game.

Wishing all a Happy & Prosperous Lunar New Year!

Macau Daily Times has named Sands China Ltd. President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Tracy its Person of the Year for 2013 – a year that has seen remarkable growth and success for integrated resort developer Sands China. Photo copyright Cotaistrip.com

Sands China Ltd. President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Tracy has been named Person of the Year by Macau Daily Times. In a December 31 story, the daily newspaper points to Mr. Tracy’s efforts to diversify Macao’s entertainment sector, through hosting major sporting events like the recent Pacquiao vs. Rios fight; concerts featuring global superstars like Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Alicia Keys and the Rolling Stones, as well as the biggest stars of Asia performing nearly every weekend; and star-studded red carpet events like the recent Huading Awards, which brought top Hollywood stars to town, including Nicholas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irons, Quentin Tarantino and Jacky Chan.

“I’m extremely honoured to be recognised,” said Mr. Tracy. “The fact of the matter is that I have the good fortune of heading a remarkable executive leadership team, supported by a talented cast of over 25,000 dedicated team members, allowing our company’s strategies to translate into outstanding experiences for our guests and visitors. This year has been an incredible year for Sands China and for Macao, and with the unwavering support of our Chairman Mr. Sheldon Adelson and Las Vegas Sands President Mike Leven, 2014 will be another great year.”

The Macau Daily Times article remarks that Inside Asian Gaming magazine recognised Mr. Tracy as one of the most influential personalities in the gaming industry across Asia in its annual who’s who of the industry in this year’s Asian Gaming 50, the magazine calling him “the pilot in the engine room of the Las Vegas Sands money machine” and noting his overseeing of “a period of growth and prosperity at Sands China that is remarkable in every respect.”
Inside Asian Gaming also highlighted Mr. Tracy’s role in “getting the first three stages of the US$4.4 billion Sands Cotai Central resort complex up and running,” as well as his strategy to diversify the entertainment offerings at The Venetian Macao.

With over 25 years of financial management and development experience in the gaming and hospitality sectors, largely in the United States, Mr. Tracy is a relative newcomer to the China market, having joined Sands China in 2010 – a fact that Inside Asian Gaming lauds as “an impressive run so far.”

Mr. Tracy’s accomplishments at the helm of Sands China Ltd. also earned him a nomination earlier this year in CNBC’s Asia Business Leaders Awards (ABLA), which annually distinguishes and honours leaders who have contributed and shaped the Asian economy, and are visionaries behind today’s outstanding businesses.

In September 2013, Zuan Xin Lucky Dragon Chinese Mobile Phone Entertainment Enterprises launched its landmark Android mobile app (as well as iPhone app) “Zuan Xin Lucky Dragon Baccarat” that contains the validated solution to Baccarat the biggest game in history. Launch of “Zuan Xin Lucky Dragon Baccarat” is highlighted by company Baccarat expert David Sofer appearing tomorrow at 1145 am on the Baccarat panel “Betting on Baccarat: From Las Vegas to Macau” at the annual G2E Conference at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas.Baccarat Master Zuan Xin and his group of Harvard graduates discovered and transmitted the solution to Baccarat called the “Xuxu Siyou Four Vivid Ritual Bonfires” that was subsequently validated by David Sofer’s successful presentation at the International Conference on Gambling & Risk Taking at Caesars Palace in May.