MACAU
PRNewswire

Aristocrat Technologies has formally opened the premises for their Asia Pacific headquarters and branch office in Macau. Aristocrat (Macau) Pty Ltd was unveiled to local gaming dignitaries by Warren Jowett, Executive General Manager Australasia and Asia Pacific, and Ken Jolly, General Manager Asia Pacific, and attended by traditional dancing lions and Chinese pyrotechnics.

The grand opening coincided with the 2006 Asian Gaming Expo in Macau held on Tuesday 13th and Wednesday 14th June, where Aristocrat presented a range of new and exciting system and product offerings to the market.

On display for the first time was the Video Lottery Terminal (VLT) offering produced by Aristocrat's recently acquired Swedish company, ACE Interactive.

Aristocrat also showcased the innovative virtual poker table, PokerPro™, courtesy of a distribution agreement with and partial acquisition of US-based PokerTek Inc.

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By Brad E. Ruszala
Reporter

The folks at the Tinian Dynasty Hotel and Casino rolled out the red carpet for 25 of the region's finest card slingers over the weekend during the Hats, Chaps & Six Guns Texas Hold "Em Poker Tournament, but Yukihiro Nomura, one of the Japanese poker players, outdueled the competition to take home $4,800 and the championship trophy.

While it took the better part of two days, utilized countless decks of cards, and cycled through a number of dealers, it came as little consequence to Nomura who raised his hands, clenched his fists, and let loose his barbaric yawp when his all-in bet prevailed over countryman Shigeto Kobayashi.

With the pocket Queens, Nomura played the bully by upping the ante to $10,000. Kobayashi hoped that his Ace and Six would carry him through and saw the bet, but Nomura went all in on a gamble and won in thrilling fashion on the flop.

"I am very happy, so very, very happy," said poker champ Nomura

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By Abdul Khalik
The Jakarta Post

Dismissing widespread skepticism about their ability and commitment to eradicate gambling in the city, the Jakarta Police claimed on Monday that all gambling dens in the capital had been closed down.

Jakarta Police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Bagus Ekodanto, who headed the city police's crackdown on gambling, said there were no more gambling operators working in the Greater Jakarta area and commended police precinct and subprecinct chiefs for doing their jobs well.

"You can see for yourself, there is no more gambling in the capital. So we will not remove any chiefs or directors from their positions. However, I will have to discuss the results with the city police chief (Insp. Gen. Firman Gani) today," he said.

Jakarta Police along with officers from seven main centers gave their progress reports on the gambling crackdown to National Police chief Gen. Sutanto over the weekend.

Sutanto, who has a track record of being tough on gambling, set a one-week deadline last Monday for provincial police chiefs to eradicate gambling in their areas. He warned them that if they did not comply, they would be fired and could face criminal charges.

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By Richard N. Velotta
velotta@lasvegassun.com
LAS VEGAS SUN

MACAU -- This small Asian enclave is on the verge of supplanting mighty Las Vegas as the top gambling market in the world.

The entire Macau peninsula, two islands and a reclaimed river delta, covers about 16.9 square miles compared with Las Vegas' 84.3 square miles. But pound for pound, gamblers in Macau are far more aggressive than those visiting Southern Nevada.

When Macau was turned over to the Chinese government in 1999 -- the same year Hong Kong made a similar but more newsworthy transition -- one of the first moves by the new administration was to open the gaming market to competitors, ending a 40-year monopoly.

The resulting injection of competition has made the market explode, with analysts expecting gaming revenue to surpass Las Vegas levels this year or next.

The Macau government reported gaming revenue of $5 billion in 2004, about $3.5 billion ahead of 2003's total and slightly ahead of the $4.9 billion generated last year on the Las Vegas Strip.

With 15 casinos and poker rooms operating in Macau with about 1,000 table games, the per-table win in Macau is nearly 10 times the per-table win in Las Vegas. Experts say Macau's gaming market could grow from $9 billion to $12 billion in the next five years as the Chinese tourism market expands and more resorts are built.

Now, a familiar shape -- familiar, at least, to Las Vegas residents -- is joining the skyline of this island resort city that shares a fascinating blend of Chinese and Portuguese cultures.

Wynn Macau, the 600-room hotel due to open in the third quarter of next year, will look a lot like its American big brother, Wynn Las Vegas, which opened on the Strip in April.

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