On that day, it opened the edifice described as the largest casino in the world, in what was still swampland, fashioned landfills undertaken a few years earlier between the islands of Coloane and Taipa (hence CO + TAI).
Following this opening, others followed, and nothing would ever be the same.
Just seven years later, Macau assumed the world’s mantle of largest gaming market, worth seven times more than Las Vegas.
In this special report we examine these 10 years (and what existed before COTAI was what it is) and the upcoming decade. What is and will happen to gambling on the Peninsula and the black arts of land acquisition.
But there is also room to speak of architecture, the influence of Las Vegas and the pivotal role of Sheldon Adelson in building COTAI.
PS – The reader will find some maps of COTAI but probably not the most up to date. When we approached the Cartography and Register Bureau for permission to publish the latest map in this magazine we were told we would have to pay for the privilege. Rich in gross revenue but poor in spirit . . .
