Macau is like the Niagara Falls of Hong Kong. It’s an hour away with a bunch of casinos, and you have to line up for an hour to get there. It’s better than Niagara Falls because there is no monopoly, so a lot of the big Las Vegas names are there, such as Wynn and MGM.
Most of the casinos are new or still under construction, it looks like Macau needs a few years before things are properly developed. Unfortunately, the economy has tanked in the meantime which makes these casinos very expensive investments. Here is an interesting article that highlights some of the concerns with the economy in Macau.
From what I can see, the problem does seem to exist. The casinos are pretty empty, especially if most of the clients are day-trippers. There are some black jack tables at the Wynn with only a HKD100 minimum, that’s like $14 CDN! Outside of the casino areas, the city is pretty run down.
In terms of tourist attractions, aside from the casinos, there are some old landmarks and architecture built in Spanish style. It’s not worth the visit just for those though.
I didn’t see many businesses that didn’t rely on the tourist (or construction) industry, and there aren’t a lot of people in the casinos or tourist attractions; it’s actually quite surprising because there are volcanos and Roman coliseums that are ghost towns. I wouldn’t be surprised if Macau turns into another Dubai!
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