Over a year after they were inaugurated in April 2006, casinos in Mongla, Burma's Las Vegas, have been seeing better days since new gambling establishments were opened late last year in the neighbouring Laotian town of Boten, Luang Nam Tha Province, according to sources from Kengtung.
 
The leadership in Mongla, known in official terminology as Shan State Special Region No. 4 (SR No. 4), does not appear to be disturbed by the prospects. "They have been moving their investments to Boten," explained an informed source.

The casinos in Wan Hsieo, Mongma tract, 16-km southwest of Mongla, are now serving as "a training school" for nearly 300 youths coming from Laos to learn the trade.
 
There are 52 gambling houses in Wan Hsieo: 30 for under Yuan10, 000 ($1,430) players and the rest for Yuan 1-2 million ($143,000-286,000) players. Online players from China bet up to Yuan 4-5 millions ($572,000-715,000), according to a businessman. A specific casino visited by a foreign reporter based in Thailand was said to be able to cover bets up to $1million daily in June 2006.
 
Mongla and its surrounding area, known as SR No. 4, are under the control of the National Democratic Alliance Army-Eastern Shan State (NDAA-ESS), led by Sai Leun aka Lin Mingxian, a former communist commander, who has since 1989 made peace with Burma's military rulers.