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Casinos in Asia 2
亞洲賭場
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Casinos are popping up all over Asia. Their biggest risk is political
亞洲賭場遍地開花。政治成關(guān)鍵因素。
Vegas comes to Manila
賭場來到馬尼拉
KABUKICHO, Japan's biggest fleshpot, swarms over a crowded one-kilometre block of Tokyo.
距離東京1000米的歌舞伎町區(qū)是日本最大的娛樂場所，其中混雜著各種俗麗酒吧按摩院和破舊的酒店。
It is a gaudy patchwork of clubs, massage parlours and seedy hotels, a short walk from what is probably the world's busiest train station.
距離這里幾步之遠(yuǎn)的或許是世界上最繁忙的火車站。
Hoodlums from Yakuza crime gangs tout illicit thrills from a well-thumbed menu of sex, drugs and gambling.
來自流氓團(tuán)體的暴徒們進(jìn)行著不正當(dāng)?shù)纳榻灰拙郾娰€博吸食毒品。
Takeshi Iwaya, a politician, wants to pull gambling out of the seedy company it keeps in Kabukicho and put it into giant family-friendly casinos.
政客Takeshi Iwaya希望將賭博從歌舞伎町破舊的公司中轉(zhuǎn)移到巨型家庭賭場之中。
He is lobbying for Japan to lift its ban on casinos.
他希望通過游說讓日本解除對賭場的禁令，
A share of Macau's eye-watering gambling revenues is the goal.
從而瓜分澳門那令人眼紅的賭博收益。
Singapore, home to a couple of new upmarket casino resorts, is the model.
新加坡這個新興的賭博度假村形式就是他的范本。
Three years ago, the island state allowed Marina Bay Sands, run by Sheldon Adelson's Sands empire, and Resorts World Sentosa, run by Malaysia's Genting group, to open.
三年前這個島國允許由謝爾登?埃德森年代金沙帝國經(jīng)營的金沙賭場和由馬來西亞云頂集團(tuán)經(jīng)營的綜合娛樂城賭場開業(yè)。
They earned 5.9 billion last year, nearly as much as all of the casinos on the Las Vegas strip.
去年盈利59億美元與拉斯維加斯所有賭場盈利相近。
Before it can reach such lofty heights, however, Japan must legalise casinos.
對日本而言，要獲得如此巨額盈利的前提是是賭場合法化。
It has been debating doing so for years, but supporters say they have finally lined up all the ducks.
就這一問題各方爭論多年，支持者稱他們最終會規(guī)范這個行業(yè)。
A cross-party group of 140 politicians supports the move, including the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, says Mr Iwaya.
他稱由包括安倍晉三在內(nèi)的140位政客組成的跨黨派小組支持這一想法。
Liberalising gambling would fit well with Mr Abe's radical reforms to boost Japan's sluggish growth.
開放博彩業(yè)符合安倍晉三的激進(jìn)改革思路，能推動日本經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇。
Japan's police have dropped their long-standing opposition, and parliament is expected to debate a legalisation bill soon.
對此，日本警察的態(tài)度似乎稍有緩和，反對意見有所下降。
The time is right, says Mr Iwaya.
同時國會也希望盡快討論法案合法化。Iwaya 稱：現(xiàn)在是最好的時機(jī)
Legalisation still has its opponents.
但仍有反對者阻止該項法案合法化。
Keiko Itokazu, another parliamentarian, worries that the Yakuza gangs have a record of muscling in on legal businesses, from property to banking.
一個國會議員Keiko Itokazu擔(dān)心黑手黨會借此干涉合法商業(yè)活動，包括所有權(quán)及銀行。
Mr Iwaya responds that there are already lots of illegal casinos in Japan; bringing the business out into the open can only make things better.
對此Iwaya回應(yīng)到日本目前已有大量非法賭場，將賭場公開化更有利于管理。
Liberalisers also argue that casinos will boost Japan's earnings from foreign tourists and, more important, rapidly deliver a tax windfall to the heavily indebted government.
支持者同時指出經(jīng)營賭場能夠促進(jìn)外國游客在日本的消費(fèi)，更重要的是能夠通過暴利稅緩解政府負(fù)債情況。
A Japanese business magazine, Toyo Keizai, has argued that Japan is being left behind as neighbouring countries rush to build lucrative gambling resorts, combining casinos with luxury hotels, shops and cultural attractions.
鑒于鄰國加快建設(shè)獲利豐富的博彩度假村，與賭場相連的奢華酒店，商店以及由此帶來的文化影響，日本的一本商業(yè)雜志，東陽經(jīng)濟(jì)寫到：日本正在落后。
Indeed it is: countries across the Asia-Pacific region have abandoned their hostility to gambling and are welcoming the big global casino groups.
的確，亞太地區(qū)國家已經(jīng)消除了對博彩事業(yè)的敵意并積極引進(jìn)全球賭場組織。
In July it emerged that Stanley Ho's son Lawrence, also a casino mogul, had reached a deal to open a casino near Vladivostok in Russia's far east.
7月份， Stanley Ho之子，賭場巨頭Lawrence達(dá)成協(xié)議將在俄羅斯遠(yuǎn)東靠近海參崴的地方開設(shè)賭場。
Vietnam is looking to boost foreign tourism by expanding its casinos, and proponents of gambling are making headway in Sri Lanka and Taiwan.
越南也希望通過開設(shè)賭場發(fā)展旅游業(yè)，同時斯里蘭卡和臺灣的支持者也取得了進(jìn)展。
In July Australian lawmakers approved a proposal by James Packer, a billionaire businessman, to open a second casino in Sydney.
7月，澳大利亞的立法者通過了一項由James Packer這位億萬富文提交的關(guān)于在悉尼開始第二家賭場的提案。
His firm, Melco Crown Entertainment, runs casinos in Macau with the younger Mr Ho.
他的公司，新濠博亞娛樂有限公司和小Ho先生在澳門共同經(jīng)營一家賭場。
They are also partners in a casino now being built in the Philippines.
他們也共同投資了菲律賓正在建設(shè)的一家賭場。
Mr Packer has said he is also keen to move into Japan as soon as it liberalises.
他表示如果日本開放博彩業(yè)，他很有興趣前去投資。
He will face competition closer to home: Tony Fung, a Hong Kong tycoon, plans to build a gambling resort in Queensland.
最近在他老家澳大利亞附近他也面臨著挑戰(zhàn)—Tony Fung，一個香港巨富打算在昆士蘭建造一個賭博度假村。
A thriller in Manila
馬尼拉的巨變
The Philippine capital is famous for many things—floods and traffic jams for a start—but not for striking architecture.
最開始菲律賓首都以洪水和交通擁擠而不是奪人眼球的建筑聞名。
Now, however, on a large plot of reclaimed land overlooking Manila Bay, it is getting four big and impressive casino buildings at once.
然而，現(xiàn)在站在一大片填海土地上眺望馬尼拉灣時，首先映入眼簾的便是4個巨大且令人印象深刻的賭場。
The first of Manila's new gambling venues, the Solaire Resort & Casino, has opened.
馬尼拉第一家新興博彩場館，the Solaire Resort & Casino已經(jīng)開業(yè)。
It is a sleek plate-glass affair with a suitably flashy interior created by Paul Steelman, a casino designer from Las Vegas.
它由來自拉斯維加斯的賭場設(shè)計師Paul Steelman設(shè)計，它有著光滑的玻璃已經(jīng)舒適華麗的內(nèi)飾。
Operated by the Philippine-owned Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels, Solaire will cost over 1 billion to finish.
將耗資10億美元建設(shè)完成Solaire會由菲律賓國營的Bloomberry度假村酒店經(jīng)營。
This was the minimum investment required to win one of the four licences on offer.
這是獲得四個賭場許可證之一的最低投資要求。
The other three Manila projects are joint ventures with overseas operators.
另外三個馬尼拉的項目都是有海外運(yùn)營商的合資項目。
The Belle Grande, to be operated by Melco, is due to open next year.
由新濠國際運(yùn)營的大百麗計劃于明年開業(yè)。
Another, Manila Bay Resorts, is backed by Kazuo Okada, a Japanese billionaire.
另外依靠于日本富豪岡田和生的馬尼拉灣度假村由于遇到了各種法律上的麻煩可能會推遲開業(yè)。
It has run into various legal troubles that may delay it, including allegations of bribery and using front companies to own land on its behalf.
這些麻煩包括受賄指控以及利用前公司擴(kuò)占土地等問題。
Mr Okada's company says it plans legal action against employees it accuses of making illegal payments contrary to company rules,
岡田先生的公司稱他們將會運(yùn)用法律手段與指控其不顧公司規(guī)定獲取非法收益的員工經(jīng)行斗爭。
and that it is co-operating with the authorities to ensure it obeys the law regarding its land ownership.
同時它也會與政府展開合作，確保其嚴(yán)格遵守法律獲取土地。
The fourth project, Resorts World Bayshore, is backed by Genting, a gambling giant with global ambitions.
海濱名勝世界作為第四個項目由云頂集團(tuán)投資。
Genting kick-started Manila's casino craze when it opened Resorts World Manila opposite the capital's main airport in 2009.
該集團(tuán)是有著全球野心的巨型博彩企業(yè)。2009年首都機(jī)場對面馬尼拉云頂世界的開業(yè)掀起了馬尼拉賭場狂潮。
Older casinos had acquired a dubious reputation as smoke-filled dens for solitary gamblers.
之前的賭場作為為孤獨的賭徒提供煙霧彌漫的窩點已獲得了一定地位。
RWM demonstrated that a casino complex could appeal to the whole family by incorporating shows, cinemas and posh shops.
馬尼拉云頂世界則展示了作為一家復(fù)合型賭場，它應(yīng)該為整個家庭提供服務(wù)，包括綜合表演，電影院以及奢侈品店。
The formula satisfies both God and mammon;
這種經(jīng)營方式滿足了上帝也賺到了錢；
it appeased critics of gambling, such as the Philippines' influential Catholic church, and made lots of money.
它既平息了對來自菲律賓具有影響力的天主教堂對賭博的批判也賺到了錢。
RWM's takings were 355m in its first year.
第一年RWM就賺到了355,000,000美元。
The government hopes the new casinos will boost tourism across the country, with punters moving on to beach resorts to spend their winnings, or cry over their losses into their pia coladas.
政府希望這些賭場會帶動當(dāng)?shù)芈糜螛I(yè)的發(fā)展，讓贏家將所贏金錢消費(fèi)到沙灘度假村，讓輸家借酒澆愁。
Solaire sees a healthy market both from local punters on modest budgets—with bets of as little as 300 pesos—and from VIP tables where the minimum is at least 25,000 pesos.
對于僅將7美元作為賭注預(yù)算的船夫與那些至少會花25，000pesos的貴賓而言，Solaire都是一個理想的場所。
Solaire expects about half of these high-rollers to come from mainland China and another third or so to hail from Japan and South Korea.
Solaire表示這些狂賭者有一半以上都來自中國大陸，另外還有三成左右來自日本及韓國。
It will send a private jet to pick up the real big spenders, those who think nothing of splashing out 10m over the course of a junket.
會派私人飛機(jī)接待那些在游覽中隨便用上1千萬美金的真正大款。
Solaire's owner is Enrique Razon junior, whose family made its money in shipping.
其擁有者是小Enrique Razon，他的家族以航海為生。
The only cloud on his horizon is geopolitical: the Philippines' increasingly acrimonious confrontations with China and Taiwan over disputed territories and waters in the South China Sea.
他的眼中只有地理學(xué)：在中國南海上的，菲律賓加強(qiáng)了其與中國關(guān)于領(lǐng)土領(lǐng)海問題的激烈對抗。 Razon承認(rèn)道。
This does worry us, Mr Razon concedes. When the Chinese government tells people not to go to the Philippines, they don't go.
當(dāng)中國政府告訴人們不要去菲律賓，大家就真的不去了，這讓我們很擔(dān)心。
All of the countries in the region have a similar love-hate relationship with China, in which diplomatic spats can all too easily flare up.
本區(qū)域內(nèi)的所有國家都與中國有著愛憎關(guān)系，這樣外交矛盾輕易就會爆發(fā)。
That is why, as Chin'a generates ever larger numbers of well-off consumers with a passion for gambling and a desire to travel, the main concern for the region's many new casino projects is not competition from each other; it is politics.
現(xiàn)在中國比以往擁有更多的熱愛旅行，熱衷賭博的富人。這就是為什么這一地區(qū)內(nèi)賭場項目更關(guān)注的是政治而不是同行中的競爭力。
