臺灣:亞洲的下一個賭博天堂?大綱

Residents of the outlying Taiwanese island of Matsu have officially opened their arms to the idea of hosting Taiwan's first legal casino and earning a robust living in catering to gamblers from mainland China - after voting in favor of an 'integrated resort' that promises to transform the island. But is the deal too good to be true?

在遠離臺灣本島的馬祖，當地居民投票贊成開設一家有望改變馬祖面貌的“綜合度假村”，此舉意味着他們對在馬祖開設臺灣第一家合法賭場的想法予以了正式支持，也意味着他們贊成通過招攬中國大陸賭客讓自己過上好日子。但是如此好事能否成真呢？

In a referendum on over the weekend, 56% of Matsu's 3,162 eligible voters cast their ballots in favor of allowing a casino on the island, opening the door to a $2-billion proposal that includes upgrades of the island's ports and airports, an abundance of job opportunities - and monthly stipends of up to NT$80,000 ($2,670) for all people registered as Matsu residents at the time of the referendum.

在7月初舉行的公投中，馬祖3,162名合格選民中的56%投票贊成允許在島上開設賭場，從而向一項20億美元的議案敞開了大門，該議案建議升級馬祖的港口和機場，這將創造大量就業機會──並可每月向公投時馬祖的所有在冊居民發放高達80,000元新臺幣（約合2,670美元）的津貼。

The developer, Weidner Resorts, has vowed to turn the underdeveloped and tightly military-controlled archipelago into the 'Mediterranean of Asia,' complete with five-star hotels, restaurants staffed by celebrity chefs, entertainment venues, high-end shopping centers and, of course, casinos.

開發商懷德度假村（Weidner Resorts）承諾將把這個經濟落後、在嚴格軍事控制下的羣島變爲“亞洲的地中海”，並稱完工時將建成五星級酒店、名廚掌勺的餐館、娛樂場所、高端購物中心等等，當然也包括賭場。

Weidner has also said it plans to build a university on the island and establish a welfare fund for locals.

懷德度假村還稱，該公司計劃在島上建立一所大學，併爲當地人建立一個福利基金。

Voting in favor of the casino might have been an act of sheer desperation on the part of Matsu residents who feel neglected by the central government, said Anita Chen, a lobbyist for the gaming site. '[Matsu residents] see it as a tool to get the infrastructure facilities they needed but couldn't get [from the government]. Deep down, people in Matsu have doubts as to whether this will actually happen,' Ms. Chen said, noting many of her contacts in Matsu supported the initiative because they felt they had nothing to lose.

這家賭場的說客Anita Chen稱，居民們投票贊成設立賭場可能是他們感到被臺灣政府忽視而深感絕望之下的行動。Chen說，“[馬祖居民]將其視爲獲得他們需要但無法[從政府]獲得的基礎設施的工具。從內心深處，馬祖人民對於是否真能建成這些基礎設施感到懷疑。”她指出，她在馬祖的許多熟人都支持這項議案，因爲他們認爲自己反正沒有什麼可失去的。

Ho Jung-shin, a professor of journalism at National Taiwan University, said in an editorial published in the China Times that the estimated yearly tax revenues of NT$15.5 billion after five years is tempting and alluring, but he cautioned that those projections are based on the risky assumption that China would allowe its gamblers to come to Matsu uninterrupted for years to come.

國立臺灣大學（National Taiwan University）的新聞學教授何榮幸在《中國時報》（China Times）上發表的一篇社論中稱，五年後，估計年稅收收入將爲155億新臺幣，這一數字十分誘人，但他也警告，這些預測基於一個有風險的假設，即中國大陸允許賭客未來不間斷地前往馬祖。

Cross-strait ties have improved significantly since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou, a proponent of increased engagement with Beijing, was elected in 2008. As a good-will gesture, China in the same year lifted a ban on tourists coming to Taiwan. Roughly 1.8 million Chinese citizens visited Taiwan in 2011, making them the largest group of foreign tourists to island, according to Tourism Bureau statistics.

自從提倡增進兩岸關係的馬英九在2008年臺灣大選中獲勝後，海峽兩岸關係顯著改善。作爲一種善意姿態，同年，中國大陸放鬆了臺灣遊限制。根據臺灣旅遊局公佈的數字，2011年，約180萬中國大陸公民到臺灣旅遊，成爲臺灣最大的海外遊客羣體。

However, Taiwan's growing economic dependency on China is also worrisome to many because Beijing could turn off the tourist tap at will - as it did for a few months after September 2009, when the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung hosted the Dalai Lama over Beijing's objections.

然而，臺灣對中國大陸日益增加的經濟依賴也令許多人擔憂，因爲中國大陸可以隨意收緊旅遊政策──2009年9月臺灣南部城市高雄不顧中國大陸的反對接待了達賴喇嘛（Dalai Lama）之後數月中國大陸便這樣做了。

Others have wondered whether Matsu would be able to compete against Macau, a gambling haven that already has a steady stream of clients from China, and expressed worries about crime and other social problems typically associated with gambling.

還有些人懷疑，馬祖是否有能力與賭博天堂澳門競爭，後者已經擁有穩定的中國大陸賭客來源，他們還表示出對通常與賭博有關的犯罪和其他社會問題的擔憂。

Such concerns still matter because, in order for a casino to be built on Matsu, Taiwan first has to pass the Gambling Act, a bill currently in draft form that would legalize gambling under certain circumstances.

這種擔憂目前仍然會產生影響，因爲，爲了在馬祖島建設賭場，臺灣首先必須通過《賭博法》（Gambling Act），這項將使賭博在特定情況下合法化的法案目前仍處於草案階段。

William Bryson, an attorney at Jones Day who has been working on the draft legislation for the past two decades, argues that stringent licensing process put in place by the Nevada Gaming Commission have made the global gaming industry highly self-regulated. As long as the gambling legislation adopts the strictest provisions, he says, it won't be hard for Taiwan 'to keep the bad guys out and the good guys in.'

衆達律師事務所（Jones Day）的律師威廉•布賴森（William Bryson）在過去20年中一直參與起草這項法案，他認爲，內華達州賭博委員會（Nevada Gaming Commission）實施的嚴格審批程序已經讓全球賭博業高度自律。他說，只要賭博法採用最嚴格的條款，臺灣“將壞人擋在門外，將好人請進門來”就不是一件難事。

Calling the passage of the referendum on Matsu 'a paradigm shift,' Mr. Bryson predicted the vote would 'highly accelerate' the legislative process and even rekindle casino operators' interests in other Taiwanese islets that faded after a similar referendum flopped in Penghu in 2009.

布賴森將馬祖公投通過該項議案稱爲“一個轉變範例”，他預測該投票將“大大加速”立法進程，甚至重燃經營者在2009年彭湖的類似公投失敗後對其他臺灣小島消退的興趣。

The supporters of the Gambling Act are hoping the draft will be put in front of the legislature by the end of the year. But despite saying it respects the will of the Matsu people, the opposition Democratic Progressive Party has nevertheless promised to oppose the bill, which means legalized gambling in Taiwan could remain a distant possibility for some time.

《賭博法》的支持者希望草案可以在今年年底前提交立法院審議。但是，儘管在野黨民進黨稱其尊重馬祖人民的意願，但其堅稱將反對該法案，這意味着在臺灣，賭博合法化成爲現實尚需時日。