Lucky Dragon Casino Opens To A Soft Launch In November

The latest hotel-casino to open in Las Vegas is the Lucky Dragon which opened two weeks earlier than planned based on local media reports. The Asia-themed property had a soft opening on Nov. 18, though according to casino officials the planned grand opening event for Dec. 8 is still on. This is the first casino to be built from the ground up in Vegas after the Cosmopolitan was constructed in 2010.

Located around a half-mile west of the Las Vegas Boulevard, the casino is spread over 27,500 square feet and has 37 table games and 300 slot machines. The majority of table games will be allocated for baccarat and pai gow, games which are popular with Chinese players. Four tables will offer blackjack. A high-stakes gaming area named the Emerald Room will be used as a special luxury VIP gaming parlor.

The property has several Chinese restaurants located at the atrium level. The centrepiece of the casino is a ¼-ton glass dragon sculpture that has been created to bring good luck to players. The 23-feet tall dragon is designed and created by Preciosa Lighting from the Czech Republic and has 762 individual glass scales.

KTNV Channel 13 Las Vegas

In a statement, Chief Operating Officer Dave Jacoby said,

Lucky Dragon in and of itself is something completely unique, not only in Las Vegas but in the world. This one-of- a-kind centerpiece of the resort will welcome guests from around the world to our gaming floor and provide good fortune and warm hospitality to all of Lucky Dragon’s guests.

The casino is expected to draw local Asian players and also regional American-Chinese gamblers. Only 10 percent of the customer base is expected to be foreign even though Hainan Airlines recently launched direct flights between Las Vegas and China. Lucky Dragon owner Andrew Fonfa said that he anticipated that most players will come in from California. The casino reflects a deep influence of Asian culture in its décor and service offerings. Lucky Dragon has put up signs that are first in Mandarin and then in English.

The casino’s VP of marketing, Jordan Seager spoke in Mandarin during the press tour and reportedly said that the casino will be attempting to cater to customers’ linguistic preferences which include Mandarin, Vietnamese, Tagalog, English and Korean. In line with Chinese beliefs, the property doesn’t have a fourth floor which is considered unlucky but lucky number eight is prevalent.