Betting On Beijing

Ho is not the only one keeping his options open. Stanley Ho (no relation) is lobbying hard to extend his gambling franchise after it expires in 2001; in the meantime, he is investing heavily in the Philippines and elsewhere. The small Macanese community--mixed-blood descendants of Portuguese and Chinese who number fewer than 20,000--is setting up a cultural institute so its unique identity won't be swallowed up. The new triad bosses who come in may not be as brazen as Broken Tooth: they have to tiptoe around a new organized-crime law and Chinese authorities who have few qualms about executing violent criminals. (Macau has no death penalty.) There may, indeed, be less violence under Beijing's firm rule. For a while everyone will hedge his bets. Perhaps Macau can settle back into its sleepy way of life--while the casinos, the gangsters and the new colonial masters get on with the business of making money.

© 1999