U.S. Poker Promoters Moving To China

In 2004, Macau opened its doors to the gambling world. Building over 20 new casinos in 5 years, Macau is becoming the Chinese Las Vegas. While baccarat is the city's most popular game (raking in 86% of Macau's $14 billion revenue), U.S. poker promoters are now thinking of taking their wares overseas to see what response they'll get.

This decision is the result of the 2006 ban on online gambling in the U.S. As online casinos continue to face scrutiny, many promoters associated with them are looking for a new market, and Macau seems to be the perfect place.

In 2008, Macau approved Texas Hold'em games and, since then, three Macau casinos have opened up poker rooms. During the first year that the game was introduced, it only brought in $7 million, but they are already seeing a vast increase. In just the first quarter of 2009, Texas Hold'em made over $4 million. Poker players in Macau are beginning to notice the poker explosion in their town. Until recently, we have seen very few Asian players in worldwide poker tournaments but that is expected to change.

As more and more Macau casinos introduce poker, players' skills are increasing rapidly, and they are looking for better opponents and bigger venues. This is where U.S. poker promoters feel that they can be of assistance. Watch out for U.S. poker to increase its' presence in Macau and, in return, we will likely see more Asians represented in big tournaments and playing in online casino games, as well.