Like its Las Vegas cousin, The Venetian casino in Macau offers gondola rides along a garish imitation of the Grand Canal, but it is the gambling that pulls in the punters. Crowds congregate around spinning roulette wheels and baccarat tables under the strip-light glare of the gaming floor. Amid the fruit machine jingles, the flashing neon and the flutter of chips and cards, some play the role of gawping, detached spectator, while others try their luck. The atmosphere is far from festive but then Macau’s gambling industry is, and always has been, a serious business.
與同為賭城的拉斯維加斯(Las Vegas)一樣，游客也可以乘坐貢多拉船，沿著澳門威尼斯人酒店(Venetian Casino)內精心仿照的大運河泛舟一番，但吸引賭客紛至沓來的卻是它的賭場。在賭場地面炫麗條形照明燈的映照下，在飛轉的輪盤賭與紙牌賭桌前，人頭攢動、人滿為患。在老虎機的丁當聲響、閃爍的霓虹燈以及你來我往的籌碼與紙牌中，有些游客超然地駐足凝視，而有些游客則想一試手氣。整個賭場猶如過節狂歡一般，不過，澳門的博彩業一直可是正經合法行當。