With the worldwide casino and gambling market set to grow by $132.17 billion between 2024 and 2028, hotels in states or cities that allow casino-style gambling are making major strides to reach travelers from Asia who are accustomed to hopping between different casinos.
Ahead of the summer season, Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City unveiled a 25,000-square-foot gaming floor with a section dedicated specifically to popular Asian casino games such as Pai Gow Poker, Sic Bo, and Baccarat.
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‘Lucky colors, symbolic imagery for good fortune': Borgata new casino section taps into Asian traditions
In an effort to reach gamblers from these countries, the resort operated by MGM Resorts International (MGM) has casino workers who speak Mandarin and Cantonese Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Miami-based firm KNA Design also tapped into the use of red and gold believed to bring good fortune in Chinese culture throughout the redesigned space.
“From lucky colors and patterns, symbolic imagery for good fortune and refined woodworking and craftsmanship, our design team took every element into consideration in delivering on the splendor our guests have come to expect,” Borgata Hotel President and Chief Operating Officer Niklas Rytterstrom said in a statement.
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A newly-opened pan-Asian fusion restaurant Noodles has also been placed right inside the casino floor for visitors to pass straight into during gaming breaks. The first location of the restaurant had been operating at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas before being shut down for renovations.
With an entryway decorated by Qing Dynasty-era porcelain rice jars, the restaurant serves Chinese barbecue and seafood dishes, traditional dim sum, and the hand-pulled noodles after which it is named.
The drink menu also taps into traditional Asian flavors such as sake, lychee, and an alcoholic version of boba tea. The casino space B Bar also features tableside game machines and serves premium Japanese whiskies such as Shibui 23 and Yamazaki 18.
Image source: Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa
As Asian luxury gambling market grows, Atlantic City and Las Vegas hotels see new potential
One recent report by payment platform Inpay found that the gambling market in Asian countries such as China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea is worth over $104 billion and made up 23% of global gambling revenue last year.
This, in turn, is expected to affect both U.S. casinos that are seeing an influx of Asian gamblers looking to vary their usual locations and the hotel industry in local casino hotspots such as Macau.
After being handed over to Chinese rule from Portugal in 1999, the special administrative region of Macau saw an influx of major U.S. chains that also operate in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
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At the start of 2025, Las Vegas Sands (LVS) reported that $7.1 billion of the $11.3 billion in revenue it brought in the previous year compared to significantly smaller numbers out of its Las Vegas hub. Many of the elite gamblers will move between all the major cities and luxury hotels that offer casino games.
“We believe the Chinese economy will grow, and [the Macau] market will grow as well,” CEO Robert Goldstein told investors in an earnings call earlier this year. “Gross gaming revenue in [Macau] should exceed $30 billion in 2025 and continue to grow.”
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