Also, China had granted Macau almost total autonomy in the administration of its internal affairs at least for the next fifty years. China basically maintained only control over defense and foreign affairs. With the policy promulgated by China's President Ziang Zemia of “one country, two systems”, Macau's capitalist economy would continue as before.

So once under China, Macau decided to concentrate on developing the casino industry with the goal of becoming the world's casino center. Prior to 1999, a Hong Kong tycoon named Stanley Ho had had a monopoly upon Macau's casino industry since 1962. Once under China, Macau broke up this monopoly and extended invitations to foreign casino operators to invest in Macau. Las Vegas immediately responded and started erecting casino resorts.

The net result of opening up the casino industry which had previously been under local control to foreign investors was an influx of tens of billions of foreign investment dollars.

At the same time, China started to open up Macau to the China by allowing residents of certain cities to visit Macau. This has increased from six to forty-nine cities. The first tourists comprised the wealthy high rollers and a minimum casino bet was $1300.00. However, Macau also began conducting various market research studies with a view to developing a market among China's newly emerging middle class.

These actions reaped immediate benefits. Macau's revenue from the casino industry started to increase and by 2006 Macau had overtaken Las Vegas with 6.95 billion dollars income from gambling as compared to 6.69 billion for Las Vegas.

This strong economic growth also brought social benefits to Macau. Due to the tax income from the casino industry, the government is now able to and does provide 15 years of free education to every child. Funds have also been allocated for architectural restoration and infrastructure improvement.

But there have also been problems. The addition of casino resorts has created a demand for additional labor which resulted in importation of guest workers from other areas. This has created tension in the labor market.

It has also put pressure on land use. While Macau has implemented land reclamation projects to accommodate its increasing population, there is still a large population to be accommodated in a small land area.

Although not as obvious as pre-1999, triads (gangs) still continue to engage in criminal activities. And Macau is still a trans-shipment point for drugs under transport to mainland China which is a consumer of opiates and amphetamines.

Macau also has an ethnic group, called Macanese, which comprises individuals of mixed Chinese-Portuguese ethnic heritage. There is a tendency for some members of this group to feel alienated from Macau's society.

However, regardless of what problems exist, there is little doubt that Macau will continue to vigorously pursue its goal of dominating the world casino industry.

The Iowa House and Senate have both voted to allow casinos to be built on land. For 20 years, law has stated that a casino or other gaming facility must be built on water. The new Riverside Casino seems that it is on land, but the gaming floor was built over a man-made pond to comply with a law passed in 2004.

The new legislation is expected to fuel the recent spike in interest in the gaming industry. The Riverside and soon-to-come Isle Of Capri- Waterloo casinos prove that the industry in Iowa is becoming a race to "keep up with the Joneses". The new casinos come with price tags of well over $100 million, and have the bells and whistles to prove it: over 1,000 slot machines, dozens of gaming tables, bigger poker rooms, indoor/outdoor pools, larger and more events centers, several restaurants, hundreds of rooms in each hotel, and extra luxuries such as golf courses. The new casinos are proving difficult to keep up with, and nearly all other casinos in eastern Iowa have undergone or are planning a large renovation to stay alive. "Much like any business, we're also very impacted by any level of competition, and as business people, it's our duty to explore all options, and that could include building facilities that include those kind of amenities." said Mo Hyder, vice president and general manager of the Isle of Capri- Bettendorf and Rhythm City- Davenport casinos earlier this year in the Gazette.

With 20 currently open casinos, Iowa is, believe it or not, ranked 22 in having the most casinos in the country. Don't look for a huge economic shift towards the gaming industry anytime soon though, we're a long way from #1 Nevada: 373 casinos, with an average construction cost of over $1 billion. It won't matter to us for a few years anyway- Iowa has very strict laws (and punishment) against any person under 21 on the floor.