Abstract
This paper analyses the represented images of men and women in casino ads of Macau, examines the impact of gender power in the casino industry and discusses the social–cultural construction of masculinity and femininity in a culturally diverse context. A social semiotic analysis of a range of casino brochures and leaflets is presented. The analysis reveals that stereotypical portrayals of gender roles persist in Macau’s casino ads, which privilege the male tourist gaze and reproduce the gender power relations within the hetero-patriarchal system. Despite the trend of women’s involvement in public gambling, casino gambling continues to be upheld as a masculine activity in Macau. The study argues that the casino space is constructed through two aspects – the simultaneous masculinisation of gambling and feminisation of interactive service work, which reflect, respectively, the traditional expectations of the gambling culture and the demands of the modern service-intensive casino business.
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