ChinesePod
@ 50686 澳門賭博
A 你說澳門好玩嗎？
nǐ shuō Aòmén hǎowán ma?
Tell me, is Macao fun?
B 當然好玩啦！不過你要是去的話，可得小心啊。
dāngrán hǎowán la! bùguò nǐ yàoshì qù dehuà, kě děi xiǎoxīn a.
Of course it's fun! But if you go, you need to be careful.
A 你是說賭博吧。老實說，我不太敢賭。
nǐ shì shuō dǔbó ba. lǎoshí shuō, wǒ bùtài gǎn dǔ.
You're talking about gambling, aren't you? Frankly, I don't dare gamble.
B 你不賭去澳門幹嗎？
nǐ bù dǔ qù Aòmén gànmá?
If you don't gamble, why on earth go to Macao?
A 我就是想去看看那些賭場。住一下那裡超豪華的酒店。
wǒ jiùshì xiǎng qù kànkan nàxiē dǔchǎng. zhù yīxià nàli chāo háohuá de jiǔdiàn.
I'd just like to go and see those casinos and stay in one of the super-fancy hotels there.
B 你這想法倒是挺新奇的。不過有機會去見識見識也不錯。據說這幾年澳門的博彩業發展得特別快。很多拉斯維加斯的賭業巨頭都在澳門開了賭場和酒店。而且你知道嗎，澳門現在已經超過拉斯維加斯，成了世界上博彩營業額最高的地方。
nǐ zhè xiǎngfǎ dàoshì tǐng xīnqí de. bùguò yǒu jīhuì qù jiànshi jiànshi yě bùcuò. jùshuō zhè jǐ nián Aòmén de bócǎiyè fāzhǎn de tèbié kuài. hěn duō Lāsīwéijiāsī de dǔyè jùtóu dōu zài Aòmén kāi le dǔchǎng hé jiǔdiàn. érqiě nǐ zhīdào ma, Aòmén xiànzài yǐjīng chāoguò Lāsīwéijiāsī, chéng le shìjièshàng bócǎi yíngyè é zuìgāo de dìfang.
That's quite a new and unusual idea you have there. But it would be nice to go and observe a bit. People say that in the last few years, Macao's entertainment industry has developed really quickly. A lot of big players in Las Vegas' gambling industry have opened casinos and hotels in Macao. And did you know, Macao has already surpassed Las Vegas as the place with the highest volume of gambling in the world.
A 難怪人家說“十億人民九億賭，還有一億是候補。” 果然生意好做啊。
nánguài rénjiā shuō `` shí yì rénmín jiǔ yì dǔ, hái yǒu yī yì shì hòubǔ." guǒrán shēngyi hǎo zuò a.
It's no wonder people say ``in a billion people, nine hundred million will be gamblers and one hundred million are alternates." As expected, business is booming.
B 所以澳門才成了賭業巨頭們的必爭之地。過去的幾十年裡，澳門的博彩業都是由何鴻燊壟斷經營的。幾年前，政府決定開放博彩業，這使得競爭變得非常激烈。這樣一來，服務質量也隨著提高了。所以現在除了何家以外，拉斯維加斯的兩位賭王也有經營權。
suǒyǐ Aòmén cái chéng le dǔyè jùtóu men de bìzhēngzhīdì. guòqù de jǐshí nián lǐ, Aòmén de bócǎiyè dōu shì yóu Hé Hóngshēn lǒngduàn jīngyíng de. jǐ nián qián, zhèngfǔ juédìng kāifàng bócǎiyè, zhè shǐde jìngzhēng biànde fēicháng jīliè. zhèyàng yī lái, fúwù zhìliàng yě suízhe tígāo le. suǒyǐ xiànzài chúle Héjiā yǐwài, Lāsīwéijiāsī de liǎng wèi dǔwáng yě yǒu jīngyíngquán.
That's the only reason Macao became a must-win area of competition for the biggest gambling tycoons in the world. In the last few decades, Macao's gambling business was monopolized by Stanley Ho. In recent years, the government has decided to open up the gambling industry. This has made the competition extremely fierce. In this way, the quality of service has also risen. So now, besides the Ho family, two big gambling kings from Las Vegas also have managerial power there.
A 那可有好戲看了。我前兩天還讀到一個報道，說幾個賭王之間打起了口水仗呢。相互之間誰也看不慣。
nà kě yǒu hǎoxì kàn le. wǒ qián liǎng tiān hái dúdào yī ge bàodào, shuō jǐ ge dǔwáng zhījiān dǎqǐ le kǒushuǐzhàng ne. xiānghù zhījiān shéi yě kànbuguàn.
That's something to see. A few days ago I read a report saying that the gambling kings have had a war of words. They can't bear the sight of each other!
B 肯定的，這是多大的利益啊！我聽說有一個拉斯維加斯的賭場開張才七個月就收回了差不多二十億人民幣的投資。多恐怖！
kěndìng de, zhè shì duō dà de lìyì a! wǒ tīngshuō yǒu yī ge Lāsīwéijiāsī de dǔchǎng kāizhāng cái qī ge yuè jiù shōuhuí le chàbuduō èrshí yì rénmínbì de tóuzī. duō kǒngbù!
That's for sure. There's so much profit here! I heard that a Las Vegas casino won back its investment of about two billion RMB in just seven months! That's scary!
A 天啊，這賺錢的速度也太快了吧。他們都是賭什麼的呀？老虎機還是牌？
tiān ā, zhè zhuànqián de sùdù yě tài kuài le ba. tāmen dōu shì dǔ shénme de ya? lǎohǔjī háishi pái?
Good heavens. The rate they make money is too fast, don't you think? What are they gambling on? Slot machines or cards?
B 澳門的特色是賭桌。不管是輪盤還是牌，每張桌子都熱火朝天。老虎機的數量不是很多。
Aòmén de tèsè shì dǔzhuō. bùguǎn shì lúnpán háishi pái, měi zhāng zhuōzi dōu rèhuǒcháotiān. lǎohǔjī de shùliàng bù shì hěn duō.
Macao's specialty is gaming tables. It doesn't matter if it's roulette or cards. Every table is really hot. There aren't a lot of slot machines.
A 那你有沒有看見過賭神？或者出老千的人？
nà nǐ yǒuméiyǒu kànjiàn guo dǔshén? huòzhě chūlǎoqiān de rén?
Have you ever seen really gifted gamblers? Or card-sharps?
B 哎，你真是電影看多了。生活裡哪有這麼玄的事？
āi, nǐ zhēnshì diànyǐng kàn duō le. shēnghuó lǐ nǎyǒu zhème xuán de shì?
Ah, you've seen too many movies. Where in real life will you see such showy stuff?
A 那你自己有沒有試試手氣？
nà nǐ zìjǐ yǒuméiyǒu shìshi shǒuqì?
Then have you ever tried your luck?
B 小玩兒了一把。其實好多人到澳門，就算不想賭，最後也會賭。因為一般大的賭場都有超豪華的酒店。而且房費很便宜，還能換成籌碼。總之是想方設法引你上鉤，讓你賭。你要是自制力不強，賭上癮的話，估計連身家性命都得搭上。
xiǎowánr le yī bǎ. qíshí hǎo duō rén dào Aòmén, jiùsuàn bù xiǎng dǔ, zuìhòu yě huì dǔ. yīnwèi yībān dà de dǔchǎng dōu yǒu chāo háohuá de jiǔdiàn. érqiě fángfèi hěn piányi, hái néng huàn chéng chóumǎ. zǒngzhī shì xiǎngfāngshèfǎ yǐn nǐ shànggōu, ràng nǐ dǔ. nǐ yàoshì zìzhìlì bù qiáng, dǔ shàngyǐn dehuà, gūjì lián shēnjiā xìngmìng dōu děi dāshàng.
I played a bit. Actually, a lot of people go to Macao not planning to gamble. But in the end, they do. Because the big casinos usually have really fancy hotels. The room fees are very cheap, and you can convert them into chips. Basically, they're always trying to think of ways to get you hooked and make you gamble. If you don't have strong self-discipline, and you get addicted to gambling, I bet even you and your family's safety wouldn't be enough to get you to stop.
A 放心吧，我早就識破他們的伎倆了，一個子兒都不會拿去賭的。對了，那些賭場和房間是不是都特別金碧輝煌啊？
fàngxīn ba, wǒ zǎojiù shípò tāmen de jìliǎng le, yī ge zǐr dōu bùhuì ná qù dǔ de. duì le, nàxiē dǔchǎng hé fángjiān shì bu shì dōu tèbié jīnbìhuīhuáng a?
Don't worry. I saw through their tricks a long time ago. I wouldn't take so much as a single seed to go gambling. Oh, right-- are those casinos and rooms really extravagant?
B 是挺氣派的。而且不像想象中的那麼俗氣，還蠻有品位的。好多酒店都弄得像主題公園一樣，進去的時候彷彿走在夢境裡，那種感覺超好。
shì tǐng qìpài de. érqiě bù xiàng xiǎngxiàng zhōng de nàme súqì, hái mán yǒu pǐnwèi de. hǎo duō jiǔdiàn dōu nòng de xiàng zhǔtí gōngyuán yīyàng, jìnqù de shíhou fǎngfú zǒu zài mèngjìng lǐ, nàzhǒng gǎnjué chāohǎo.
Very stylish. And they don't seem as tacky as you might imagine. They're really tasteful. A lot of hotels are done up like theme parks. When you go in, you feel like you're in a dream. The feeling is incredible.
A 不會是給你灌了什麼迷魂湯吧？那麼神奇。不過開賭場的人肯定希望客人找不著北，不管真金白銀，只知道一個勁兒地往外掏錢。
bùhuì shì gěi nǐ guàn le shénme míhúntāng ba? nàme shénqí. bùguò kāi dǔchǎng de rén kěndìng xīwàng kèren zhǎobuzháoběi, bùguǎn zhēnjínbáiyín, zhǐ zhīdào yīgejìnr de wǎng wài tāoqián.
They don't give you some kind of magic potion, do they? So exotic. But the people who run casinos definitely hope that their customers will be bowled over. Whether it's gold or silver, they will go gamble it away at all costs.
B 其實喜歡賭的人就是到再爛的地方都能賭。不過現在澳門也在擴充自己的實力，搞多元化。最近建了好多會展場館。
qíshí xǐhuan dǔ de rén jiùshì dào zài làn de dìfang dōu néng dǔ. bùguò xiànzài Aòmén yě zài kuòchōng zìjǐ de shílì, gǎo duōyuánhuà. zuìjìn jiàn le hǎo duō huìzhǎn chángguǎn.
Actually, people who like gambling can do it even in the shabbiest places. But these days Macao is expanding its own power. It's becoming varied, and recently built a bunch of exhibition centers.
A 這可真是高招啊。公私兩不誤。下次再有人說去澳門開會，我就知道他其實要去幹什麼了。
zhè kě zhēnshì gāozhāo a. gōngsī liǎngbùwù. xiàcì zài yǒurén shuō qù Aòmén kāihuì, wǒ jiù zhīdào tā qíshí yào qù gàn shénme le.
This is really a masterstroke. They get both private and public taken care of. Next time someone says they want to hold a meeting in Macao, I'll know what they're up to.
Key Vocabulary
博彩業 bócǎiyè gambling industry
打口水仗 dǎkǒushuǐzhàng public battle of words
老虎機 lǎohǔjī slot machine
輪盤 lúnpán roulette
熱火朝天 rèhuǒcháotiān bustling with activity
出老千 chūlǎoqiān cheat while gambling
籌碼 chóumǎ chip
身家性命 shēnjiā xìngmìng family fortune
伎倆 jìliǎng trick
一個子兒 yī ge zǐr to have only one penny
灌迷魂湯 guàn míhúntāng to seduce
找不著北 zhǎobuzháoběi disorientated
擴充 kuòchōng expend
高招 gāozhāo great move
公私兩不誤 gōngsī liǎngbùwù public and private advantage
Supplementary Vocabulary
買彩票 mǎi cǎipiào to buy a lottery ticket
賭球 dǔqiú to bet on sports
輸得精光 shū de jīngguāng lose all your money
傾家蕩產 qīngjiādàngchǎn lose the family fortune
一無所有 yīwúsuǒyǒu to not own a single thing
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