Las Vegas casino owners might have a lot to say about it, but if we cast aside some of the earliest known gambling houses such as the Ridotto in Venice, the new home housing the original and most authentic casino experience is indeed Asia, for a couple of specific reasons.
A Journey and a Destination
That good old traveller’s cliché serves us well here, because it is indeed about the journey, not just the destination. Granted, what makes for a great time out at the casino is subjective, just like everything I guess, but once you get a true taste of the authentic casino experience as it was envisioned by the earliest contributors to the creation of the casino industry in its prime, Asia emerges as one of very few homes remaining for the original casino experience. A huge part of the allure of visiting a casino was and should perhaps still be induced by the journey to the casino. The most prestigious casinos which thrived during the golden years of the industry were typically located somewhat remotely and you had to travel quite a bit in order to finally reach the destination and sit down to have your first shot at hitting the big time.
Depending on your gambling approach, you could very well lose all the money you allocated for that part of the trip, and if that were to happen, a remotely located casino premises will ensure that it was all still worth it, simply as a result of the journey there. Again, Las Vegas might have a lot to say about their desert location being remote enough to account for a journey that’s just as rewarding as the destination, but unlike the Asian based Venetian Macau Casino, the Las Vegas Casino Strip is a bit more in-your-face about the fact that this is a place of gambling. The Venetian Macau on the other hand, which in a sense epitomises the general Asian casino experience, isn’t so obvious about what the main activity is. It radiates that distinctive, old-style air of tonnes of mysteries waiting to be uncovered within the brightly-lit walls that look a lot classier than the flashing neon lights synonymous with Las Vegas casinos.
Go Big or Go Home
Everything about the original casino experience screams grandioseness and you’d think Las Vegas surely had at least one casino that dwarfed all others in the world, but no; you have to go to Asia to find the biggest of the biggest. Again, the Venetian Macau takes the crown, with its extensive casino-related entertainment spanning over a colossal 39 storeys. The Venetian Macau Hotel and Casino Luxury Resort also comes in at number seven, by way of the largest building in the entire world, so it’s all about going big here.
The original casino experience is topped-off with very close ties with the international tourism industry, which is why most Asian casinos are either based in an island state, on the coast, or very close to the coast in the case of those housed on the continental mainland.
