The Macao Special Administrative Region is expected to earn more than 52 billion Macao dollars (US$6.58 billion) from its gambling industry in 2006, the Chinanews.com reported.

The figure is 2.4 times more than that reached in 2002 and will help the the special administrative region beat Las Vegas to become the world's biggest casino centre.

Macao's gambling industry has witnessed rapid growth since it broke its gambling industrial monopoly in 2002.

More than 18.7 million people visited Macao's casinos last year, with the figure expected to reach more than 20 million this year, according to a report released by the SAR government.

Currently, 93 per cent of Macao's casino visitors are from the mainland.