Taiwan Voters Reject Casino Gambling, MGM And Harrah's Lose Out

The easiest step in the process to bring casinos to Taiwan was supposed to be the vote. On Saturday, voters proved that nothing is a sure thing when they rejected the idea of casino gambling in Taiwan.

Harrah's Entertainment and MGM Mirage, two gaming giants based in the US, now must deal with the fact that they will not be building casinos in Taiwan. The two casino operators figured prominently in Taiwan's casino plans.

"They (voters) didn't want their beautiful homeland to be spoiled," said Shih Chao-hwei, a Representative of the Anti-Gambling Legalization Alliance, "Now you can leave your doors unlocked."

The Alliance worked their plan of placing fear in voters to perfection. Their anti-gambling campaign was run efficiently, and in the end, it paid off when voters turned away the casino proposal.

The fear of crime and gambling addiction were highlighted as the main reasons for voters saying no to casinos. The economic benefits would have been great for Penghu, according to several economist who have weighed in on the subject matter.

Asia's gaming market has been growing quickly and US-based gaming companies were planning on using Taiwan to tap into that market further. Melco Crown Entertainment, a developer who has build casinos in Macau, also was hoping to develop a casino resort in Taiwan.

September 26, 2009
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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