Lucky Dragon Casino is, by and large, built to cater to Chinese mass market players and the 3.8 million Chinese-American gamblers in California.
The Lucky Dragon Casino on the Las Vegas Strip opened this week to give visitors a chance to see the Chinese-themed resort. In doing so, Lucky Dragon opened two weeks earlier than planned.
Lucky Dragon is the first casino to open on the Vegas Strip since the Cosmopolitan six years ago. It is the first Vegas Strip casino to be planned, developed, and opened in the post-Global Recession economy.
The casino, which is set to open on Dec. 3, is the culmination of years of planning. Even more, it’s the culmination of a lifetime of work in Asian casinos for its mastermind.
Even more, Lucky Dragon seems to have gotten fortunate already. The casino is opening at a time when the first non-stop flights are planned from Beijing to Las Vegas. It is at a time when Chinese gamblers are being discouraged from gambling in Macau, and they might be seeking new gaming venues.
Chinese Mass Market Gamblers
The new casino-resort is a sign of changing demographics and global economic factors. The 200-room hotel and casino caters to Chinese mass market gamblers. Its CEO said that other Vegas casinos seek the 1% VIP high rollers from China, but Lucky Dragon Casino seeks the other 99%.
The fact that an American casino could be built with the intention of luring millions of gamblers from China is something of an innovation. Certainly, Las Vegas is a destination resort city. The city drew 41 million visitors last year, both from across the United States and around the globe. The city also caters to Asian gamblers, as evidenced by its growing set of baccarat tables.
Chinese Culture on Display
That is different from the full treatment the Lucky Dragon gets. Signage is written in English and Mandarin Chinese. Dealers and managers are more familiar with Chinese tastes and habits. The building is built without a 4th floor, because the number four is unlucky in Asian cultures. Even the restaurant was built with feng shui in mind.
David Jacoby, the chief executive officer of Lucky Dragon Casino, said the restaurants also serve authentic Chinese cuisine. “No General Tso’s or eggrolls here,” quipped the casino’s CEO.
5 Restaurants and a Night Market
The complex includes 5 restaurants, including a tea garden with its own tea sommelier. The owners said the restaurants double as a “night market“, nighttime street market said to be fit for leisurely strolling and shopping.
The Lucky Dragon is located on Sahara Avenue, west of Las Vegas Boulevard. Besides the 300 hotel rooms, the casino contains 27,500-square-foot of gaming space, along with 37 table games and 300 slot machines. That’s small by Las Vegas standards, but the developers are proud of their achievement.
Bill Weidner’s Role
The development is the brainchild of Bill Weidner, a former Las Vegas Sands executive who was instrumental in the success of Macau’s Venetian Macau and Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands. Weidner was a go-between for Sheldon Adelson with government officials when he first began to develop in the Far East, and Weidner knows how to draw Asian customers.
This Saturday is the soft opening of the development. December 3 is still considered the grand opening. On December 2, Hainan Airlines begins its first-ever non-stop flights between China and Las Vegas. Chinese officials approved the flights earlier this year, after the Lucky Dragon Casino was conceived.
Andrew Fonfa on Lucky Dragon Casino
Despite the attention to detail and the non-stop flights, Lucky Dragon’s owner, Andrew Fonfa, said he still expects the bulk of customers to come from California. California is home to some 3.8 million or more Chinese-Americans, according to the 2010 US Census. It is natural to assume that that population might include nearly 4 million Chinese-Americans now, so Mr. Fonta’s calculations might well be correct — and quite lucrative.
Lucky Dragon Casino Grand Opening
Though a soft opening happened on November 19, the grand opening of the casino is December 3. Taiko drummers are expected to open up the “Dragon and Lion Eye-Opening Ceremony” for the casino. It is part of a good luck ceremony to bless the new casino. Baccarat and Pai Gow will be key games, of course. Overhead, a 23-foot dragon-themed chandelier will hang.
