They will spend almost every minute in one of Macau's 29 casinos. They carry pockets full of cash and very little luggage. By 9 o'clock, visitors will arrive at the rate of some 16,000 an hour. A mile to the north, arrivals by land elbow their way toward customs checkpoints in a hall longer than two football fields.
It's Saturday night and jet foils are pulling into Macau's ferry terminal every 15 minutes, bearing crowds from Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Shenzhen, each about 40 miles distant.