Inside Asian Gaming

39 lease pardon the confusion with my name in the last issue. Since my columnist persona was conceived in October, I named myself Octo in line with Hong Kong style nomenclature. We were going to have some fun with the different months of publication, e.g. Novo, Decca, Jan (pronounced Yan), Febio (love February) etc. However, our esteemed editor changed his publication schedule and threw my plans out the window, thus the confusion with my pseudonym. I really love these HK style names: Osto (suffering fromOsteoporosis?);Claudius (won- der if he works for Greek Mythology); Desirius (I kid you not); and my favourite, a guy called March Ong… Christian soldiers! And the companies:Century,Golden Cen- Do Buildings Sell? Octo Chang ponders “what’s in a name?” and whether the Galaxy Starworld’s architect found inspiration in a children’s toy box tury, Century Legend, Legend, Golden Drag- on, Dragon Dynasty, Golden Dynasty, Grand Dynasty, Emperor, Grand Emperor, Crystal Palace, Golden Palace and so on. Notice a trend? Any possible combination of those six words and you have yourself a good sound- ing (and hopefully lucky) name. Names mean a lot to the Chinese (pretty obvious, isn’t it), and picking the right name could mean the difference between a bonan- za and a tough luck story. Or could it? Look at Louvre, the new casino at the former Kam Pek site. The average Chinese speaker has problems trying to pronounce that with outputs from “Loo” to “Loof”. Could that be why, despite its spacious and decent- ly-appointed interior, it sits empty even on Friday and Saturday nights? Golden Dragon, if anyone dares to venture into that dingy, haze-filled, low-ceilinged cavern, sits towards the other end of the scale. It is jam packed with people – the crowds are 3-deep at each table. Even Sands went the same way, with its Chinese name being modified to “Kam Sah” or “Golden Sand.” Incidentally, has anybody worked out if Wynn has translated his name into something meaningful? So, does the name of the casino have any effect on its ability to draw the crowds? Depends on who you talk to, I suppose. The Feng Shui masters who charge an arm and a leg to help pick the names certainly think so. The Feng Shui masters also have some P The beacon beckons BY APPOINTMENT ONLY Avenida da Praia Grande, China Law Building GF, Macau Tel: 331521 spa