Sir Richard Branson is best known for his Virgin brand. An airline, rail company, and many niches of the entertainment world are the source of his tremendous worth of $7 billion or so. He has also been involved in the online casino business, naturally tying in with his entertainment and money making activities. The Virgin Group operates an online casino but still seeks to grow in the gambling world and become an even bigger player. One direction it is going is Macau, China.
But Sir Branson's business initiative to join the Virgin Group with Tabcorp Holdings of Australia in establishing a giant casino in Macau, an investment of $3 billion, has failed, reports say. The former Portuguese territory in southern China, Macau is becoming the center of gambling, challenging Las Vegas for world domination with all that concerns gambling. Branson believes in a tie between online casino gambling and the traditional casinos, as the former feeds the interest of players in the latter. This has been the business sense behind operating online casino sites. As a matter of fact, the ban on online casino gambling in the US is tied to the decline in gambling activities in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, according to some experts.
Branson has not given up on the idea to establish a casino in Macau to complement his online casino and general entertainment activities. Reports have the English entertainment mogul actively seeking out a new partner. A source told the media that "Virgin is obviously moving forward and still talking to partners." The insistence on Macau, rather than Las Vegas, is best understood if the tie between gambling and online casino gambling is understood. With Macau taking the lead in both fields of gambling, expect Branson to join the fun in the near future.
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