Macau · 1849–2012
A short history of poker in Macau
Macau has had legal gambling for more than 170 years, but poker only arrived in 2007. Within five years it hosted a tournament with a HK$2,000,000 buy-in.
Timeline
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 1849 | The Portuguese administration legalises gambling in Macau. |
| 2002 | The casino monopoly ends. Concessions and sub-concessions go to SJM, Wynn, Las Vegas Sands, Galaxy, MGM with Pansy Ho, and Melco with PBL. |
| 2007 | Macau overtakes the Las Vegas Strip in gambling revenue. Poker appears in August on electronic tables. |
| Nov 2007 | First live poker tournament: the Asia Pacific Poker Tour stop in Macau. |
| Jan–Feb 2008 | Official Texas Hold'em rules are published; live-dealer poker tables open in February. |
| Aug 2012 | The regulator reverses a plan to count up to 20 poker tables as one under the 5,500 table cap. Sands China drops a planned US$5 million poker investment. |
| 31 Aug 2012 | The HK$2,000,000 Macau High Stakes Challenge is played at StarWorld. |
Why the table cap mattered
Macau's government had promised Beijing not to raise the number of live table games above 5,500. Every poker table counted against that limit, so it competed for floor space with baccarat, which earns casinos far more. When the plan to count poker tables at a discount was dropped, casino reporting at the time suggested poker might be removed altogether as "not an optimal use of table count".
Where to play now
Macau's poker rooms, the legal position and the options for playing online have changed a lot since 2012.