In fact, Macau draws so many punters that casinos are literally rising from the sea: the Venetian and the Plaza anchor a development known as the Cotai Strip, built on a five-kilometre piece of reclaimed land that links the two Macanese islands of Coloane and Taipa.
In addition, travelling through the reef provides ships with shallower and protected waters that allow them to anchor in the case of mechanical failure, making it safer than going around the reef into open sea and deeper waters.