Protest of Illegal Workers Held in China's Gambling Mecca

Macau is the gambling capital of the World, and one would think this would lead to economic stability for the citizens of the area, but that is not the case as many people are fed up with the influx of illegal workers.

In 2002, Macau made a decision that they would end their monopoly on the gaming in the area and allowed some of the top Las Vegas executives come in and build casinos. Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn were quick to move in on the area.

Now, it is five years later and workers of the area are claiming that they still have not felt the positive impact of the expansion.

The most disgruntled workers are the local construction companies, who have been overlooked in favor of illegal workers who will work at below minimum wage. They estimate that the problem is so bad that there are over 70,000 illegal workers in the area and that the government has done nothing to help solve the problem.

Macau is a pro-China territory but the protest on Monday led to city leader Edmund Ho releasing a statement on the government web site that stated the area "respects and attaches great importance to citizens' opinions and appeals expressed in a reasonable way."

The main protesters according to Police spokeswoman Lou Sin Man came from a casino construction workers group.

October 2, 2007
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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