A view of the Macau peninsula, a popular setting for many James Bond films, and more recently for the world’s newest and largest casinos. Macau, while being only 29.2 sq km in size, is considered one of the most densely populated cities on the planet, due to it’s rapidly growing population and booming casino trade. It’s also the only part of China where gambling is legalized. Across the harbor lies the Chinese city of ZhuHai.

See additional images from Macau Hits the Jackpot, photographed by Justin Guariglia, which ran in Smithsonian’s September 2008 issue, online here.

Copyright Justin Guarglia/www.guariglia.com