The Grand Waldo Casino, the 21st casino in Macao, started operation on Monday.

The casino, boasting 24 VIP lounges and 101 regular gaming tables, was the 4th casino invested in Macao by the Hong Kong-based Galaxy Entertainment Group.

Macao has a 150-year history of gaming industry and is the only part of China where casino gaming is legitimate.

The gross receipts of the region's previous 20 casinos reached 46.1 billion patacas (US$5.76 billion) in 2005, up 8.2 percent over 2004, according to official statistics issued earlier this year.

(Xinhua News Agency May 23, 2006)