Betting on Macau: Casino Capitalism and China''s Consumer Revolution

A comprehensive look into how Macaus recent decades of gambling-related growth produced one of the wealthiest territories on the planet

Betting on Macau delves into the radical transformation of what was formerly the last remaining European territory in Asia, returned to the Peoples Republic of China in 1999 after nearly half a millennium of Portuguese rule. Examining the unprecedented scale of its development and its key role in Chinas economic revolution, Tim Simpson follows Macaus emergence from historical obscurity to become the most profitable casino gaming locale in the world.

Identified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and renowned for its unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese colonial-era architecture, contemporary Macau has metamorphosed into a surreal, hypermodern urban landscape augmented by massive casino megaresorts, including two of the worlds largest buildings. Simpson situates Macaus origins as a strategic trading port and its ensuing history alongside the emergence of the global capitalist system, charting the massive influx of foreign investment, construction, and tourism in the past two decades that helped generate the territorys enormous wealth.

Presented through a cross section of postcolonial studies and social theory with extensive insight into the global gambling industry, Betting on Macau uncovers the various roots of the territorys lucrative casino capitalism. In turn, its trenchant analysis provides a distinctive view into Chinas broader project of urbanization, its post-Mao economic reforms, and the continued rise of its consumer culture.