Notes

The Macau Economy in 2019
Macau is a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China located in the Pearl River Delta, west of Hong Kong and bordered to the north by Guangdong province. Its economy is based largely on gambling and tourism, with textile and fireworks manufacturing contributing smaller amounts of revenue. The city’s residents are mostly Chinese émigrés from mainland China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

With a population of around 2 million, the city has no arable land and is therefore dependent on imports for food, water and energy. The main source of fuel is petroleum, with natural gas and coal also used. It is heavily dependent on Hong Kong and mainland China for raw materials. Until recently, a large portion of the city’s employment was provided by migrant workers. Since 2010, however, the number of these non-resident workers has fallen from 188,400 to 115,800. Their working conditions are often poor and they are denied basic forms of protection, such as transfers to other job categories or holidays. If they lose their jobs, they are required to leave the city within two days.

Although the local government has attempted to diversify the economy, gambling remains the dominant activity. As a result, the city’s economy is highly volatile and dependent on the whims of visitors. In 2019, tourists from Mainland China accounted for more than 80% of the total visitor numbers.

A reversal of fortunes has occurred in recent years, with the city’s casino revenues declining in 2018. In response, the government has rolled out measures to restrict the amount of money that can be gambled. It is currently working to reduce the maximum amount of money that can be won in a single transaction from HK$3 million to HK$1.5 million.

The occult economy of chance and confidence has damaged the social fabric of Macau. It has made some of its residents rich, but at the expense of thwarted aspiration and control and estrangement from unseen forces. Many remain fixated on numbers that have acquired mystical significance, such as monthly gambling revenue figures and forecasts.

In addition to gambling, the city’s economy is based on service industries such as logistics, finance and legal, which are needed to facilitate mainland exports through Macau and inflows of goods and investment into the SAR. In the long term, tourism is expected to play a major role in driving the city’s growth.

Despite its dependence on mainland China, Macau is a unique place with a distinct culture. live draw macau of bureaucratic practices, secretive land deals for casino resorts and the use of tax incentives to favour particular individuals and associations are impediments to fostering civil society in the SAR. It is difficult for citizens to challenge their government or the political system due to its election/appointment method and a distribution of power among businessmen, LA members and Beijing officials. This has led to the co-optation of civic society with the majority of NGOs taking funding through the government-controlled Macao Foundation, a body that receives 1.6% of gaming revenues.
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