HK takes a punt on slot machines - but just the one
It's a wonderful illustration of Lo Down's 'One Delta, Two Systems' theory.
Everyone knows casino boomtown Macau is growing at a blistering pace. The former Portuguese enclave is home to 14,000 slot machines - about 16 times more than six years ago.
However, Lo Down can exclusively reveal that Hong Kong is fighting back with its very own slot revolution, deep in the bowels of Wan Chai. And when we say slot singular, we mean just that; Hong Kong has finally got it's first slot machine - yep, just the one.
The proud owner - after weeks of wrangling with several relevant government departments - is Kevin McBarron of The Canny Man bar, which is situated in the basement of the Wharney Guang Dong Hotel in Lockhart Road.
'It took a fair bit of negotiation with several government departments and delving into various ordinances. Basically, the officials weren't too keen on the idea,' he said.
'However, eventually they settled on licensing it as a 'game of skill', as opposed to one of the chance variety.'
Don't tell disgraced Macau official Ao Man-long, but there is no cash involved. Winning players get tokens that can be exchanged for prizes, which is all very quaint.
Oh, yes, and in Wan Chai it's a fruit machine; nothing so vulgar as a slot.
