Trusted Local News

Gambling Tourism and Economic Development of Countries

Traveling gives incredible emotions, especially when it all involves gambling. Studies by our experts confirm that despite the popularization of online casino format, thousands of people around the world every month visit major gambling clubs in person.


Passion for top online pokies is not inherent in all connoisseurs of the gambling industry. Sometimes, you want to pack up and go to another city or even country to enjoy the atmosphere of a land-based casino.

Gambling as an Economic Driver

Many countries have legalized gambling, greatly simplifying the procedure for establishing new casinos and generating additional tax revenue. For example, Las Vegas in the USA, Macau in China, and Monaco show how gambling can benefit economic development and tourism. A visit to these locations will leave vivid memories because you will enjoy the impressive architecture and participate in large-scale gambling - world-class events.

Revenue Generation

Suppose a country has decided to legalize gambling and casinos. It will instantly increase the flow of money into the state treasury because the top sites earn tens of millions of dollars a month. For example, the economy of Macau is largely based on gambling; almost 50% of the profits here come from land-based casinos.

Job Creation

Building a casino requires the efforts of hundreds of workers and takes far more than one month. The surrounding area must be regularly maintained, and administration staff, dealers, etc., must be hired. Logistics and the supply of products are also important. In sum, creating a casino means creating hundreds or thousands of jobs, which is also favorable to the overall economic situation.

Boost to Ancillary Services

Tourism greatly benefits the city and country because it means markups on everything: food, infrastructure, transportation, accommodation, and entertainment. And when all this involves gambling, the location becomes even more expensive because, as a rule, casinos are visited by people with impressive incomes. Along with this, the growth of other sectors of the economy begins with real estate, the sale of souvenirs, entertainment programs, etc.

Destination Development

In Australia, gambling is legal; that's why there is a strong development of tourism to visit large casinos. But at the time of writing, Sydney gambling houses are not so popular. The success stories of Macau and Singapore are still on the rumor. You can learn about each of them in detail below.

Macau: A Success Story

The Chinese city of Macau quickly became a center of gambling and earned the title of Eastern Las Vegas. Yearly, millions of tourists from all over the world, particularly from China and other Asian countries, come here. 

Thanks to the emergence of a large casino, hotels, entertainment complexes, water parks, and impressive shopping centers began to be built here. Macau's economy has "skyrocketed," and 50% of it is made up of gambling.

Singapore’s Integrated Resorts

Singapore's tourism and gambling resorts beckon customers from all over the world. Its warm climate attracts people all year round. At the same time, the government of Singapore strictly controls the Gambling industry, not allowing it to negatively impact the country's citizens. This creates the necessary balance between tourism profits and casino negative effects.

Challenges and Risks

Despite all the benefits of gambling tourism, it also means significant risks for the country, or rather for the well-being of its inhabitants. Therefore, not every state decides to make such a desperate move.

Social Issues

Gambling addiction, also known as ludomania, is a growing problem due to the increasing popularity of gambling. This addiction often leads to people accumulating debt and becoming irritable and anxious. This can result in family breakdowns. One way to address this issue is by implementing laws to regulate gambling.

Economic Dependency

Relying on gambling as the main source of revenue for the city, the government risks losing this investment in an instant because interest in casinos can significantly decrease under the influence of many factors:


  • A decrease in people's ability to pay
  • Lack of visible profits for players in the long term
  • Competitiveness of other platforms around the world
  • The popularity of payID pokies in an online format

Conclusion

Gambling tourism can significantly increase the popularity and profitability of a particular city and the country as a whole, as seen in the example of Macau in China. But you should be prepared for huge social risks, the worsening problem of gambling addiction, and huge competition from online casinos.


But our team of experts still recommends developing this sector of the economy, predicting an increase in interest in the gambling industry in the next 10 years. At the same time, it is worth thinking about fighting ludomania and promoting the Responsible Gaming (https://www.responsiblegambling.org/) principles. It is also worth considering that casinos are allowed only from the age of 21 in Australia.