随着中国经济的崛起，中国人的可支配收入也不断提高，从而催生了推动赌博市场发展的一类“赌博新阶级”。

　　中国的经济增长自2000年以来一直非常旺盛，其国内生产总值（GDP）年增长率在过去十年的大部分时间都接近或超过10％。

　　随着中国经济的崛起，中国人的可支配收入也不断提高，从而催生了推动赌博市场发展的一类“赌博新阶级”。

　　这种亚洲赌博者人数增长的优势突出体现在中国唯一赌博合法的行政区--澳门。

　　澳门的赌博业总收入在2006年超过了拉斯维加斯。去年，曾是葡萄牙殖民地的澳门从赌博业中获得235亿美元的巨额收入，是拉斯维加斯所有赌场收入总和（58亿美元）的四倍。据美国博彩协会（American Gaming Association）预计，这两大著名赌城之间的收入差距将进一步扩大。

　　拉斯维加斯各大赌场公布的赌博业务收入与去年大致持平，而澳门的赌博业收入则继续疯涨。美国博彩协会总裁弗兰克·法伦科夫（Frank Fahrenkopf）预计澳门博彩收入到明年至少上涨25％。

　　分析师迅速指出，澳门目前是博彩业增长的关键。法国农业信贷银行证券公司（Credit Agricole Securities）的分析师乔恩·吴（Jon Oh）认为，亚洲博彩业在未来十年左右时间里将经历“动荡时代”，但势不可挡的增长是其长期趋势。他在博彩业方面投资押注的是拉斯维加斯金沙集团（Las Vegas Sands，纽约证券交易所股票代码： LVS）。

　　乔恩说：“在未来两年左右的时间内，金沙将在博彩业拔得头筹，它是唯一一家在澳门扩大赌场规模的公司。”在澳门，拉斯维加斯金沙集团占有的市场份额仅次于亿万富翁何鸿燊的澳门博彩控股有限公司（SJM Holdings，简称澳博控股）。排在拉斯维加斯金沙集团之后的是总部位于美国的竞争对手永利度假集团（Wynn Resorts），而排名更靠后的还有米高梅国际度假集团（MGM Resorts International）。

　　法国农业信贷银行证券公司的乔恩解释说，米高梅集团（纽约证券交易所股票代码：MGM）在澳门的获益远远不如拉斯维加斯金沙集团或永利集团。乔恩表示，另外，米高梅集团在设法追赶谢尔登·艾德森（Sheldon Adelson）的金沙集团及史蒂夫·韦恩（Steve Wynn）的永利集团方面似乎行动缓慢。他指的是米高梅在澳门路氹金光大道（Cotai Strip）建造的新赌场最早也要到2016年才能完工。“在此之前，MGM在澳门只有一个赌场可以依赖。”

　　米高梅集团目前正在摆脱其临近破产的阴影--当时它竭力筹集资金以完成它在拉斯维加斯大道（Vegas Strip）上的米高梅城市中心赌场（CityCenter complex）。上个月，米高梅集团与亿万富翁何鸿燊之女何超琼合资创建的米高梅中国（MGM China）在香港证券交易所首次公开招股上市时募集到近15亿美元。

　　译文

　　China’s economic growth since 2000 has been blistering, with GDP expanding at annual rates near or above 10% for most of the past decade.

　　With the rise in China’s economy, comes the rise of disposable incomes among its people, creating a whole new class of gamblers to drive the gaming market.

　　This ascendancy of the Asian gambler comes sharply into focus in China’s only province where gambling is legal, Macau.

　　In 2006, Macau eclipsed Las Vegas in terms of total gaming revenue. Last year, the former Portugese colony took in a whopping $23.5 billion from gambling, four times the $5.8 billion cumulative take from Las Vegas casinos Expect the gap to widen this year, according to the American Gaming Association.

　　Vegas casinos are posting flattish gaming numbers while Macau continues its tear. Frank Fahrenkopf, president of the American Gaming Association, looks for Macau gaming revenue to surge by at least 25% into next year.

　　Analysts are to quick to point out that Macau is the key to growth in the gaming sector. Jon Oh, analyst at Credit Agricole Securities, believes the Asian gaming business will go through “volatile times” within the next decade or so, but that the longer term trend is inexorably higher. His horse in the race is Las Vegas Sands （NYSE: LVS）。

　　“Sands will come out on top in the next two years or so, it’s the only company in Macau expanding its footprint,” says Oh. Las Vegas Sands has the second highest market share in Macau next to billionaire Stanley Ho’s SJM Holdings. Behind Las Vegas Sands in Macau are U.S.-based competitors Wynn Resorts and, more distantly, MGM Resorts International.

　　Credit Agricole’s Oh explains that MGM （NYSE: MGM） has not benefited nearly as much in Macau as Las Vegas Sands or Wynn. Plus it seems to be dragging its feet as it tries to play catch-up to Sheldon Adelson and Steve Wynn, says Oh, noting that MGM’s future Macau presence on the Cotai Strip will not be completed until 2016 at the earliest. “MGM until then is reliant on just one property.”

　　MGM is coming off of a near-death experience when it struggled to raise cash to finish its CityCenter complex on the Vegas Strip. Last month,MGM China, a joint venture between MGM and Pansy Ho, daughter of billionaire Stanley Ho, raised nearly $1.5 billion in an initial public offering on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.