In this article, we discuss the 20 biggest gambling cities in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of the global gambling industry, you can go directly to the 5 Biggest Gambling Cities in the World.
In a previous article, we covered the 12 most profitable casinos in the world. In this article, our focus will be on cities that experience high levels of gambling activity. Before digging into the list, we will take a look at some major gambling markets across the globe.
Gambling Markets Across The Globe
Gambling is a big business globally and casinos exist in almost every country. The United States leads the race of the most casinos in the world. According to the WorldCasinoDirectory, the U.S. has 2,147 licensed casinos and 619 casino hotels, across 920 gambling cities. According to the American Gaming Association, the gambling market in the U.S. contributes nearly $261 billion to the economy annually and supports 1.8 billion jobs across the country. Following the United States, Romania leads the race with the most casinos in the world with a total of 454 casinos. Then we have the Czech Republic, Spain, and the United Kingdom with 423, 314, and 309 casinos, respectively. Other notable countries that have a prominent gambling industry include China, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and Slovakia.
Two Gambling Hubs – Las Vegas and Macao
Las Vegas, Nevada is one of the most populated casino cities in the world by number of casinos. As per the WorldCasinoDirectory, Las Vegas has 170+ casinos and 90+ casino hotels in the city. Whereas, Nevada as a whole has 404 licensed casinos and 178 casino hotels across 45 gambling cities in the state. According to the American Gaming Association, Nevada posted a monthly commercial gaming revenue of $1.15 billion in commercial gaming revenues for April 2023. Nevada was the only state that posted revenue that exceeded $1 billion, while all other states' monthly revenue for April 2023 was in millions.
In comparison, Macao has 49 casinos and 58 casino hotels. Macao is a major contributor to the global gambling industry. On June 2, Reuters reported casino revenues in Macao soared 366% year over year to $1.93 billion in May 2023. Las Vegas and Macao are only two of the biggest gambling cities in the world.
A Growing Internet Gambling Market
The internet gambling market is experiencing healthy growth worldwide. According to a report by ResearchandMarkets, the global online gambling market was worth $63.53 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $153.57 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 11.7% between 2023 and 2030. The surge in smartphone usage and internet penetration has paved the way for casino gaming platforms.
The gambling industry has experienced significant growth over the years, propelled by advancements in technology and changing societal attitudes towards gambling. Some of the biggest gambling companies in the world include Las Vegas Sands Corp.(NYSE:LVS), Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN), and MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM). Let's see how the financial performance of casino companies has fared so far in 2023.
Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN) posted a strong beat in Q1 2023. On May 9, the company reported an EPS of $0.29 and surpassed EPS estimates by $0.32. The company's revenue for the quarter amounted to $1.42 billion, up 49.34% year over year and ahead of analysts' estimates by $58.73 million.
After a strong quarter, Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN) is looking for growth opportunities in the gambling market. Here are some comments from its Q1 2023 earnings call:
"We have a number of growth projects in flight that require capital and will ultimately add meaningful EBITDA to our business. But with Macau returning to profitability and North America continuing to perform well above historical levels, we have sufficient financial flexibility to also return capital to shareholders.
We identified 50 well-known cities that experience the highest level of gambling activity. We then sourced each city's statistics from the WorldCasinoDirectorydatabase. We considered the number of casinos and the number of casino hotels as our primary metrics to determine the biggest gambling cities in the world. We prioritized the number of casinos for our rankings and, where the number of casinos for two cities were the same, we used the number of casino hotels as the tiebreaker. The cities are ranked in ascending order of the number of casinos they have.
20 Biggest Gambling Cities in the World
20. Marina Bay
Number of Casinos: 6
Number of Casino Hotels: 1
Marina Bay is the gambling hub of Singapore and is one of the biggest gambling cities in the world. With 6 casinos and 1 casino hotel, Marina Bay has 5 venues in the city.
Some of the famous companies in the gambling industry that own big casinos include Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS), Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN), and MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM).
19. San Juan
Number of Casinos: 8
Number of Casino Hotels: 9
San Juan is a city in the North American country of Puerto Rico. Gambling remains a top gaming industry in the Americas. San Juan makes it to our list of the biggest gambling cities in the world with 8 casinos and 9 casino hotels, offering gambling services across 10 venues.
18. Sydney
Number of Casinos: 10
Number of Casino Hotels: 2
Sydney is one of the most famous cities in Australia and makes it to our list of the biggest gambling cities in the world. The capital of New South Wales has 10 casinos and 2 casino hotels, along with 27 venues across the city.
17. Atlantic City
Number of Casinos: 10
Number of Casino Hotels: 16
Atlantic City reflects the gambling culture of New Jersey, United States. Being one of the biggest gambling cities in the world, Atlantic City has 83 gambling venues which encompass 10 casinos and 16 casino hotels.
16. Biloxi
Number of Casinos: 11
Number of Casino Hotels: 9
Biloxi is a city in Mississippi, United States, and is one of the cheapest places to make bets. The minimum bet starts at $0 and the maximum bet is $25. The city offers 24 venues which include 11 casinos and 9 hotels. Providing equal opportunities for low-income citizens, Biloxi makes our list of the biggest gambling cities in the world.
15. Cripple Creek
Number of Casinos: 11
Number of Casino Hotels: 10
Yet another gambling city from the United States on our list proves the massive gambling marketplace in the country. Players can make a minimum bet of $0 and a maximum bet of up to $100. Cripple Creek has 3 venues across the city with 11 casinos and 10 casino hotels. This is the fifteenth biggest gambling city in the world.
14. Carson City
Number of Casinos: 13
Number of Casino Hotels: 4
Carson City is another U.S. gambling city in Nevada. The city offers 21 venues to gaming players with 13 casinos and 4 casino hotels and makes it to our list of the 20 biggest gambling cities in the world.
13. Manila
Number of Casinos: 14
Number of Casino Hotels: 14
Manila is one of the biggest casino cities in the world and a popular destination in the Philippines. The city has 14 casinos and 14 casino hotels at 15 different venues. Gamblers can make a minimum bet of ₱0 and a maximum bet of up to ₱500,000.
12. Aruba
Number of Casinos: 14
Number of Casino Hotels: 18
Aruba is a small island located near Venezuela, in the Caribbean. It is a major attraction in the Caribbean with legal gambling. Moreover, Aruba is part of the Kingdom of Netherlands. The island has 12 venues with 14 casinos and 18 casino hotels. Aruba is another prominent destination and makes it to our list of the biggest gambling cities in the world.
11. Amsterdam
Number of Casinos: 15
Number of Casino Hotels: 1
Amsterdam is a major gambling destination in the Netherlands and ranks eleventh among the biggest gambling cities in the world. The city has 15 casinos and 1 casino hotel across 6 venues.
10. Cairo
Number of Casinos: 19
Number of Casino Hotels: 11
Cairo, an ancient city in Egypt, is one of the biggest gambling cities in the world. The Egyptian city has 19 casinos and 11 casino hotels across 24 different venues.
9. Reno
Number of Casinos: 22
Number of Casino Hotels: 15
Another city from Nevada, U.S. ranks among the biggest gambling cities in the world. Reno has 22 casinos and 15 casino hotels across 45 destinations in the city.
8. Lima
Number of Casinos: 23
Number of Casino Hotels: 4
Lima is a prominent gambling destination in the South American country, Peru. The city makes it to our list of the biggest gambling cities in the world. The city has 23 casinos and 4 casino hotels across 14 venues.
7. Deadwood
Number of Casinos: 24
Number of Casino Hotels: 17
Deadwood is a city in South Dakota, United States. The city has 24 casinos and 17 casino hotels across 35 venues. The minimum bet gamblers can make is $0 and the maximum bet is up to $1,000. Deadwood ranks seventh among the biggest gambling cities in the world.
6. San José
Number of Casinos: 25
Number of Casino Hotels: 19
The capital of Costa Rica makes it to our list of the biggest gambling cities in the world. San José has 25 casinos and 19 casino hotels across 29 venues in the city. The minimum bet gamblers can make is $0 and the maximum bet can be up to $500.
Some of the best gambling and casino stocks to buy now include Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE:LVS), Wynn Resorts, Limited (NASDAQ:WYNN), and MGM Resorts International (NYSE:MGM).
