The grand Macau makeover

With the six casino licences soon to expire, what’s next for Macau? Achieving a Singapore-style IR model looks a bridge too far.

A flag-raising ceremony at Macau’s Golden Lotus Square in 2019. Chinese President Xi Jinping is bent on reinventing Macau into a wholesome playground aka Las Vegas 2.0 or, even better, another Singapore integrated resort success story on a grander scale, says the writer. However, no one knows for sure what the new framework will be. PHOTO: REUTERS
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Tens and tens of billions of dollars have been poured into the enclave at the mouth of the Pearl River Delta over the past 20 years, earning Macau the reputation of being the gambling capital of the world.

However, the label is a bugbear rather than an accolade, going by recent editions of China's quinquennial five-year plan - ever since President Xi Jinping took the helm of the world's most populous nation.

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