Melco Crown (MLCO -1.28%) is the latest gaming company to consider paying a dividend after its board of directors recommended paying both a special and regular dividend. If approved, it would join Wynn Resorts (WYNN -1.16%) and Las Vegas Sands (LVS -0.92%) as dividend-paying gaming stocks. 

This is a huge shift from just a few years ago, when companies were drowning in debt and used junk bonds just to expand operations. But Macau is such a cash machine that it can pay back investors with dividends and investors can rely on the income long-term. 

In the following video, Fool contributor Travis Hoium covers what Melco Crown's dividend might look like and why dividends change how investors should look at gaming stocks.