Macau Yat Yuen Canidrome

Written by Ivana Dai Updated Jun. 18, 2021

Macau is famous for its gaming industry. Dog-race is one of the traditional gambling events, which is welcomed widely by Macau people. It has no parallel in popularity.

(Yat Yuen) Canidrome is the only legal greyhound racing stadium in Asia. Its development is full of ups and downs. Chinese businessman, Jiepeng Fang cooperated with Americans to found the first dog-racing stadium in Macau in 1931, which was the origin of Yat Yuen Canidrome. Thus the history of the dog race in Macau started. When it was first introduced, all the facilities like the operation system, even the dogs were introduced from Shanghai.

However, it closed down in 1936 from financial problems. Through several handovers, it was restarted by businessman Lujian Bi in 1961. The new boss rebuilt the facilities and repaired the racing track, making the whole stadium reorganized. At that time, the dog-race stadium created quite a stir. Though it isn’t that prosperous nowadays, we can still see the reflection of history and culture.

There is an old Chinese saying that goes that “Small bets entertain”. Dog-race, a relatively low-budget gambling opportunity, makes Yat Yuen Canidrome a fascinating place for ordinary people. You can either be an audience, watching the dog race only, or invest a little to bet. Either way, you won’t lose too much. The thrilling game and lively atmosphere will surely give you a brand-new experience. The game not only entertains you but also gets you involved in the most characteristic Macau culture.

The Yat Yuen Canidrome looks like a football stadium outside and is about 1.8 acres. Inside, it has a 350-meter-long racing track. There are 2 oval grandstands, several private boxes, and a VIP lounge. A huge electronic screen is hung on the opposite side of the spectators to show the number of the upcoming Show Quality, the number of people betting, and the ratio of loss.

Yat Yuen Canidrome lies in the north zone of the Macau peninsula. It stands on the Avenida do General Castelo Branco.  Castelo Branco was once appointed as the Governor of Macau in 1907.

There are about 200 dog owners and 700 dogs in Macau Yat Yuen Conidrome now. All these dogs are greyhounds from Australia. They are quick and fierce, good at hunting and they must go through tough train. Usually, each greyhound can only live for 5 years.

In the past, people use the real rabbit as the target for the greyhounds to chase, but it turned out that the rabbit runs slower than the dogs.  So they have to replace the rabbit with the electronic one.

Most local people know the rules and tactics of betting in the dog race. But the travelers are not that lucky, they tend to choose at random for they are not sure of the rules. As a result, the greyhound they choose can be the old or the injured one. Thus visitors can’t get their money back most of the time. Then the guides who take them there would thank them for contributing to the economy of Macau.

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