He would be the first leader not born in Macau to take the top job, if he is approved by Beijing. Born in China’s southern Guangdong province, the 62-year-old Sam is fluent in Portuguese, having studied at the University of Coimbra, Portugal. However it needs to be kept in mind that Macau is a small town of 650,000 people,” said Anthony Lawrance, founder of consultancy Intelligence Macau. “It seems ridiculous to think that a chief justice might be qualified to be chief executive. Should he be chosen, casino executives said they will be watching to see who Sam appoints to his government, and particularly who will take over as the finance secretary who oversees the casino industry.

(Reporting by Farah Master; editing by Miral Fahmy) HONG KONG, Aug 28 (Reuters) - Top Macau judge Sam Hou Fai announced on Wednesday his intention to run in October elections for the territory’s chief executive, as the world’s biggest gambling hub tries to transform itself into a major regional tourist destination.