Sanya - A Future Paradise for Gambling and Lottery

Jan 4th, China's State Council released "A Number of Opinions on Boosting the Construction and Development of Hainan International Tourism Island" (hereinafter referred to as "Opinion"), which elevated the building of Hainan International Tourism Island onto the level of a national strategy. The "Opinion" pointed out six strategic orientations for the development of Hainan island:

1. Test area for reforms and innovation in China's tourism industry;
2. World-class destination for island vacations;
3. National Demonstration Zone of Ecological Civilization;
4. Important Platform for international economic cooperation and cultural exchange;
5. Development & Service base for South China Sea Resources;
6. National base of tropical modern agriculture.

While setting a clear direction for the future development of Hainan province, China’s central government also backs up the development of it's unique tropical island with a series of preferential policies on investment, financing, taxation, land and industrial permits. In short, Hainan will enjoy the same preferential policies as the western regions of China. In particular, qualified tourism enterprises will be encouraged to issue corporate bonds, and establish investment funds for the tourism industry. A more convenient entry-exit management measures are implemented. Five more countires - Finland, Denmark, Norway, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan - are included into visa-free countries for Hainan, thus increasing the total number to 26. Hainan’s tourism industry is further opened up. Domestic and overseas large-scale tourism enterprises are encouraged to operate in Hainan, nurturing competition among key enterprises and famous travel brand names. Xisha Islands tourism is also expected to achieve a breakthrough.

Since the development of tourism is closely related with the entertainment industry, the "Opinions" permits Hainan to practise a number of international popular tourist sports and related entertainment projects, encouraging Hainan to explore the development of pari-mutuel sports lottery and instant lottery for large-scale international events.

It’s not difficult to envision Sanya becoming a paradise for gambling and lottery in the near future since already there’s been lots of underground gambling in Sanya China.