"Since 2002, Macau has become a gambling mecca like no other, even Las Vegas" says Jim Trippon, who looks at Melco Crown Entertainment (NASDAQ: MPEL).

In his specialty newsletter, The China Stock Digest, he explains "Simply put, the Chinese love to gamble, and the combination of their new freedoms and new wealth have uncorked a gusher of revenue."

He explains, "Melco has delivered industry-beating earnings growth in the booming Macau gaming, entertainment, and hospitality industries. The company's recent reorganization has lifted it from a loss to profitability. Net revenue for the first quarter of 2008 was $482.9 million, up from $179.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. That's a 267% jump!

"Net income for the first quarter of 2008 was $43.2 million, compared with a net loss of $36.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2007. In a few short months the company's key asset, Crown Macau, has become the busiest casino in the world in gaming volume.

"Macau's government announced in April that it would rein in the booming gaming industry by halting the issue of new licenses and by freezing land allocations for the construction of more casinos.

While many know that Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are the two wealthiest, Tony Sagami notes that few know the third: Sheldon Adelson. In his Asia Stock Alert, he explains, "Adelson is the founder and CEO of Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS), our latest featured stock." Here, he looks at the gaming company and its bright prospects in Macau.

"Due to its strategic location in the South China Sea, Macau has a rich history as an Asian trading hub. To this day, it looks more European than Asian. And its popularity with tourists is absolutely exploding - an
estimated 27 million visited Macau last year.

"The majority (55%) came from mainland China, but many more visited from Hong Kong (30%) and Taiwan (9%). These tourists are flocking to Macau not because of its history or picturesque seaside location. They're coming to gamble.

"And boy, did they gamble! On my last visit to Macau, I saw table after table filled with boisterous high rollers routinely making $100,000 bets. These 'whales' account for about 80% of Macau's gambling revenues.

"Today, Macau has become the Las Vegas of China. It is the only city in the region with fully legalized gambling. And gambling is deeply engrained in the Asian culture. Plus, Macau is within a five-hour flight of three billion people - nearly half the world's population.

"MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) is arguably the world's top publicly traded casino gaming company; from budget-minded families at the Excalibur to high-rollers at the Bellagio, no segment of the market should slip through the cracks," says value investor Nathan Slaughter.

In Half-Priced Stocks, he explains, "But this is just the beginning: the firm has ambitious plans to leverage its brands and take its gaming/hospitality experience to other growing markets around the world."

"Thanks in part to a landmark merger with cross-town rival Mandalay Group several years ago, MGM is now the dominant player on the booming Las Vegas Strip. The merger also brought together two complementary property portfolios, adding Mandalay's low/mid-tier casinos to MGM's mid/high-end resorts.

"The company also has upscale resorts in other high-profile markets, including Atlantic City's Borgata, Detroit's MGM Grand, and the Beau Rivage on Mississippi's Gulf Coast. Combined, the firm operates around 20 properties featuring more than 42,000 hotel rooms.

"And looking ahead, a busy development pipeline and global expansion plans should keep both of those totals moving briskly forward. The company recently celebrated the introduction of MGM Grand Detroit last October, and that property has already hit the ground running and emerged as a market leader.

For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.

"My top speculative idea for 2008 is International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT)," says Paul Tracy, editor of StreetAuthority Market Advisor.

"IGT is the world's leading slot machine manufacturer. In addition to basic slot machine design and sales, the company generates more than half of its revenues by leasing machines to casinos in exchange for a percentage of the net win.

"This gaming business provides the firm with a recurring stream of high-margin revenues. Thanks to steady expansion in recent years, IGT now draws income from about 60,000 machines installed throughout casinos in key gaming markets across the globe.

"With deep pockets and steady cash flows, the company has been able to spend nearly twice as much on research and development activities as its closest competitors. In a recent poll conducted by Casino Player magazine, seven of the top ten most popular video slots were introduced by IGT.

For 25 years, Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, has surveyed the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is one of 100+ ideas in the Best Stocks for 2008 report.

"The market is looking increasingly fragile -- and our top pick for 2008 is a stellar investment that has all the makings of a bear-market killer: The Vice Fund (VICEX)," says Eric Roseman, editor of Commodity Trend Alert.

"This fund will do well as long as people continue to drink, smoke and gamble. The fund might not be the most wholesome investment in your portfolio, but it sure earns a big score for making bundles of dough from many industries currently shunned by investors and portfolio managers.

"And best of all, as the economy contracts, stocks in its highly concentrated and aggressive portfolio usually grow their corporate earnings while the broader market corrects. Bull or bear, it doesn't matter. The Vice Fund can generate profits in any economic environment -- provided people continue to gamble, drink and smoke.

"Launched in 2002, the Vice Fund is advised by Mutual Advisors, Inc, a small outfit with $177 million under management. But its size is actually highly advantageous to investors because of its ability to quickly enter and close trades and buy some companies that might be thinly traded.

"Since the first 'one-armed bandit' was introduced in the late 1800s, slot machines have become a thriving multi-billion dollar global industry," says says Nathan Slaughter. "And International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is the '800-pound gorilla' in the slot machine industry" he explains in his Half-Priced Stocks.

And while he notes that the earliest slot machines were crude mechanical devices, the latest are "technological marvels," equipped with rich high-resolution plasma monitors, stereo surround-sound speakers, live streaming video, and other features.

And looking ahead, Slaughter explains, there are other exciting developments on the horizon to look forward to -- such as server-based gaming, where entire banks of slot machines connected to a central server can be reconfigured instantly.

In Nevada, he notes, slot revenues surpassed those generated by blackjack and other table games in 1981 and never looked back. Last year, he observes, they accounted for 66% of total casino revenues statewide.

Macau -- an 11-square-mile territory on the southern coast of the People's Republic of China -- is a "gaming hotbed," notes Beth Gaston Moon, an analyst with Schaeffer's Investment Research. Indeed, Macau saw 2006 gambling revenue up 22% to $6.95 billion. For the first time on record, its gaming revenue exceeded that of Las Vegas.

As the technical analyst -- known for her contrarian investment strategy -- points out, "These figures affirm Macau's status as a region to be reckoned with in the world of blackjack and baccarat." Here, she looks at the investment opportunities in the region:

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) was the first stateside company to begin operations in Macau. Moon explains, "In 2004, the company built the Sands Macau, the largest casino in the world (in terms of the number of table games)."

Next in line was Wynn Resorts (NASDAQ: WYNN), which she notes built the Wynn Macau in 2006. A third player, whose casino is slated for construction over the next year is the MGM Grand (NYSE: MGM).

Each year Steven Halpern, editor of TheStockAdvisors.com, surveys the leading financial newsletter advisors asking for their favorite stocks for the coming year. This article is part of his 24th annual Top Picks Report.

International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT) is a favorite speculative pick for 2007 from Dan Sullivan, editor of The Chartist. The advisor, who specializes in relative strength, notes, "IGT is a leading designer and maker of microprocessor-based gaming devices, including video poker machines and video and reel-spinning slot machines.

"Due to its market share, financial strength, and innovative game designs, IGT is well-positioned to benefit from industry growth both in the U.S. and abroad. Many states have -- or are considering -- legalizing or expanding gaming as a way to generate tax revenue. Currently, casino gambling is legal in 20 states. And increasingly slot machines are being introduced to race tracks across the country.

"Also, many of the old-style machines, which are not chip-based, are candidates for replacement as casinos strive to provide the newest and hottest games for their gamblers. Both areas should be a strong revenue source for IGT over the next several years.