‘It’s now or never’ for Macau: ‘City of Dreams’ is battling for survival

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Three decades of casino money have made this city rich, fast, but dive beneath the shimmering surface and you will find a centuries-old culture battling to survive.

The challenge is part identity, part political. The “good boy” to Hong Kong’s “bad boy”, Beijing’s golden goose kept locals happy with annual cash handouts from casino revenue. China got little political turmoil in return.

Now some residents fear Macau has been plucked so much that it is in danger of losing the characteristics that made it different from the mainland.