Now that the lavish resorts are starting to open up their doors once more, we take a look at the big gambling playground of the world – Las Vegas and Macau and see how they compare.
Las Vegas Vs Macau: The Ultimate Luxury Gaming Getaways Of The World
1. Las Vegas Vs Macau: The Ultimate Luxury
Gaming Getaways Of The World
Casino and gambling experiences vary wildly around the globe. From the historical gambling houses
of Monaco, Germany and England to the modern interpretations that litter the Las Vegas strip and
the extravagant offerings that are popping up around the world with fierce regularity, it seems that
there is something suit all tastes and style of gambler. And while the past year or so has proved
difficult when it comes to enjoying the glitz and glamour of a land-based casino, online offerings
have seen a boom.
Whether you enjoy playing online casino from the comfort of home or now fully embrace planning
those big trips to the bright lights of the big cities and try your luck at one of the land-based casinos
there, there has certainly been a way to get your fix. Now that the lavish resorts are starting to open
up their doors once more, we take a look at the big gambling playground of the world – Las Vegas
and Macau and see how they compare. Though the explorers and seekers during the California gold
rush settled in the area now named Las Vegas around the turn of the 19th century, it wasn’t until the
1940s that the glitzy hotel resorts truly propelled the city to new heights, only growing in size,
popularity, and quantity of lightbulbs ever since. And while the Nevada-based entertainment
paradise still attracts those looking for a fun escape in their hoards, a certain autonomous region off
the south coast of China is rivalling the American city in many ways.
2. There’s nowhere on the planet quite like Macau
We are, of course, talking about Asia’ gambling capital that is Macau, where gambling was legalised
in the 1850s and the Cotai Strip and casinos make up 50% of region’s economy alone. The place
often referred to the ‘Las Vegas of Asia’ Macau’s visitors are largely made up of Chinese nationals
from Hong Kong and China, but we are here to see if this region has reached a point of being
declared the Las Vegas of the world.
Size Matters?
Las Vegas boasts some of the largest hotels, casinos, and resorts with themed offerings littering the
Las Vegas Strip with vigour. It has become one of the most iconic tourism destinations in the world;
among its contemporary architecture, nightlife, fine dining restaurants and various other
attractions, casinos are the primary reason tourists are lured to the city. Though Vegas is nearly
three times larger than Macau, the population difference between them is not huge, though the
larger size of Las Vegas means it holds more space to accommodate more people. This indicates that
more people can gamble there and the city’s area can be leveraged to beat the revenues of Macau
in the coming years. Though the difference in residential population between the two territories is
not considerable, Vegas gets nearly 13 million more visitors than Macau annually. However, the
visitors in Macau who gamble make up 5% more than that of Vegas.
3. Las Vegas saw visitor numbers slump by more than 50 per cent last year as casinos were forced to
close their doors for three months due to coronavirus
Revenue
Though Macau is much smaller than Las Vegas in terms of area, it’s certainly bigger in terms of
revenue. Despite the many attractions and gambling facilities of Vegas, the numbers don’t seem to
favour the city a lot in recent years. According to the figures of 2020, the gaming revenue of Macau
and Vegas is $7.57 billion and $3.61 billion respectively.
The Attractions
When talking about these two gambling centres of the world, casinos are not the only attractions we
are looking at. From hotels to rollercoasters and helicopter rides, people consider everything before
they plan a trip to either of these cities. With 104 casinos and 68 hotels in Las Vegas and 49 casinos
and 75 hotels in Macau, the comparison on the gambling front becomes a bit difficult. Though the
number of people who gamble in Macau is more than that of Las Vegas, Vegas has the potential to
increase that number due to a significantly large number of gambling facilities present.
4. Las Vegas boasts some of the largest hotels, casinos, and resorts with themed offerings littering the
Las Vegas Strip with vigour. Image credit: travelview/Bigstock.com
However, people don’t merely visit these places to gamble. When it comes to attractions other than
casinos, it’s safe to say that Macau has not yet reached the heights of Las Vegas. Even with its many
iconic buildings, temples, and museums, it can’t compete with the theatres, clubs, roller coasters,
acrobat shows, zip lines, and aquariums of Vegas. From touring the city to relish its nightlife to
visiting the Grand Canyon, Vegas remains unmatched.
The Bottom Line
Though the bright lights and nightlife of the Sin City is still unexampled, the tiny territory of Macau
has replaced Las Vegas as the largest gaming city in the world, if you’re looking at revenue alone,
however it could never outshine Vegas on all fronts.