Back in 1840, when Macau was ruled by the Portuguese, the local administrators were looking for additional sources of revenue to add to the king’s coffers. They decided to tap into vice as a reliant way to secure additional money, and gambling houses were among the approved activities allowed under a new decree.
By the account of Camilo Pessanha, a Portuguese poet who lived in Macau at the time, the little backward settlement was quickly transformed into a “material and moral rubbish heap.” There was none of the glitz or kitsch of Macau today, and that would continue for a while.
By the account of Camilo Pessanha, a Portuguese poet who lived in Macau at the time, the little backward settlement was quickly transformed into a “material and moral rubbish heap.” There was none of the glitz or kitsch of Macau today, and that would continue for a while.