Casino Begins New Ferry Service to Macau

HONG KONG (AP) - Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson is upping the ante against Macau competitors Friday by launching a ferry service from Hong Kong to the outlying strip of reclaimed land he hopes to transform into a massive gambling and vacation resort.

Macau's current ferry terminal is located on its mainland peninsula linked to China. That's where the casinos of many of Adelson's rivals are located, including Steve Wynn's Wynn Macau and Stanley Ho's Lisboa and Grand Lisboa.

The new CotaiJet service is based at a temporary terminal located near the reclaimed Cotai strip linking the outlying Taipa and Coloane islands. Billionaire Adelson -- who also runs Las Vegas Sands Corp. -- recently opened The Venetian Macao casino-resort at Cotai and is building other hotels nearby. Competitor Melco PBL is also building the City of Dreams resort on Cotai.