Asia is a continent that spans eleven different time zones and is home to forty-eight countries that have some of the very best attractions in the world. But it’s not just the amazing wildlife, jaw-dropping monuments or succulent cuisine that brings millions of tourists to Asia each year, it’s casinos too.
There are thousands of casinos in Asia, ranging from the opulent to the quite frankly absurd. However, there are three casinos that are a must for any trepidatious traveller, and here they are…
Wynn Macau
Opened: September 2006
Owned By: Wynn Resorts Limited
Gaming Space: 273,000 Square Feet
Location: Sintra, Macau, China
In the past few decades, there has been a subtle shift in the power of global gambling, with Macau overtaking Las Vegas as the world’s premier casino destination. Bizarrely, Las Vegas’ decline has been masterminded by some of its own thriving casino companies.
Wynn Resorts Limited is just one of a handful of Vegas-based casino companies that have sought to expand into Macau in recent years. Not content with a thriving, bustling and profitable casino in Las Vegas, Wynn Resorts decided to open a bigger, better and more audacious casino in Macau.
The Wynn Macau opened its doors to punters in September 2006 and has since become synonymous with the growth of the former Portuguese colony as a global gambling hotspot. The Wynn’s 273,000 square foot casino floor is often home to some of the richest and most powerful businessmen and women in Europe and Asia.
Poker is one of the main attractions at this Macanese casino, but it is played very differently than in the casinos of North America. For patrons of the Wynn Macau, the card game is iconic, theatrical and almost sacred. As is typical with casinos throughout Asia, the poker rake stands at 5%, capped at HKD$200.
Marina Bay Sands
Opened: April 2010
Owned By: Las Vegas Sands
Gaming Space: 160,000 Square Feet
Location: Downtown Core, Singapore
Singapore’s amazing skyline has long been a bucket list view for world travellers. Standing out in such an iconic space would be a monumental task for any company, well, apart from Las Vegas Sands.
In 2010 the American casino firm opened Marina Bay Sands which now features prominently on the Singaporean skyline.
The three-pillared building, topped with a horizontal boat-shaped structure certainly catches the eye of skyline gazers. It’s an added draw to one of the best casinos in Asia that houses 700 table games and 2,500 gaming machines in a 160,000 square feet gaming floor.
Marina Bay Sands is about more than just gambling though, this complex has been designed to banish boredom. There is a million square foot convention space which is often packed out with exciting and innovative world exhibitions.
On top of that, Marina Bay Sands holds 50 restaurants (9 of which offer fine dining options), theatres, entertainment venues and even a museum. If that’s not enough there’s a rooftop terrace 50 storeys high with a stunning infinity pool looking out over the city’s famous skyline.
Resorts World Manila
Opened: August 2009
Owned By: Genting Group & AGI
Gaming Space: 323,000 Square Feet
Location: Newport City, Manila, Philippines
The Chinese government has been keen to crack down on the number of its citizens travelling to Macau to gamble in recent years. For China, gambling is a foreign vice that the government would like to see their own nationals abstain from.
That’s despite the central Chinese and local Macanese governments being more than happy to indulge gambling in order to profit from foreign players. Another country keen to profit from foreign gamblers is the Philippines, which is the ideal home for disenchanted Chinese gamblers.
There are 65 casinos in the 32 cities across the Philippines, all attracting wealthy Chinese businessmen and women. The most popular of all the casinos, however, is Resorts World Manila.
The casino’s 323,000 square feet of gambling space is spread out over three floors and is flanked by four hotels, nine signature restaurants, a sprawling mall, a theatre and a luxury spa.
Further to this, Resorts World Manilla is just opposite the main international airport in the Philippines making it the ideal location for busy business people looking to blow off some steam on their travels.
