At the end of January next year, Las Vegas enters one of its most profitable periods of the year, the 15-day celebrations surrounding the Chinese New Year. These festivities attract thousands and thousands of Asians and Asian-American visitors to the Nevada desert and they come with itchy fingers, pockets full of gold, and plans to make it rain.

In terms of numbers and turnover, the casinos located on the strip report that during this 2-week stretch, more money is bet than at any other time during the year. It’s not at all uncommon that a family spend more than $20,000 on a Chinese New Year dinner. Man, we would happily learn Mandarin in order to get a seat at a table like this!

Special Accommodation Awaits

The city goes wild with preparations for this holiday and the big casinos do not hold back on the expenses trying to make the visitors feel as welcome as possible. This includes hanging jaw-dropping sized banners with New Year ́s greetings in Chinese. Other activities include adding extra tables for Baccarat and Pai Gow poker, which are highly popular amongst the Asian gamblers.

Step Aside, E.J!

In Las Vegas, the artists performing on the famous strip are the kings and queens of the city. Prince, Tom Jones, Britney Spears and Frank Sinatra are just some of the headliners having filled the seats every night throughout the years. To give an example of how massive of an influence the Asian crowd have of the city, there was one year at Caesars Palace where Celine Dion and Elton John was given a few days off so that Jacky Cheung, a pop sensation from Hong Kong, could take over the venue with his own show. Kicking old Elton to the curb, now that ́s a power move!

When Good Things Goes Wrong

As one might figure, going all-in trying to impress an audience with different cultural backgrounds means that things can also go completely haywire. Often, the Casinos will learn this the hard way. When MGM first opened, the entrance was built to look like the gaping mouth of a lion. This made a lot of sense, as the lion is still today the well-known symbol of the company. Unfortunately, it backfired, as walking into the roaring mouth of such a beast is considered bad luck, Asian players made sure to stay clear of it, costing the hotel a ton of expected money.

After realizing the mistake, the hotel had to spend millions on a brand new entrance. Hey, with deep pockets like that, the last thing you want to do is have them turn around at the door and spending their cash elsewhere.

Another mishap took place when the Mirage Casino built a VIP area looking like a library. Little did they know, that the Chinese word for losing is very close to the word for book. After being informed about this, the management had to instead order an immediate removal of all books. Superstition strikes again!

The City of Green!

Truth be told, Las Vegas never judges anyone and we all know this is the place where anything goes. As fun as these mishaps are, it doesn’t matter what size, sex, age or color you are. The only color that counts in this unique city is green!