Meta Description: Gambling activities like casinos and sports betting play a major role in tourism, entertainment, and economic growth for many global destinations.
The Role of Gambling in Tourism and Entertainment
Gambling activities have become ingrained in the tourism, entertainment, and economic fabric of destinations worldwide. From Las Vegas and Macau to regional Loco Win casino hubs and sports betting, gambling is often a core tourism product that influences visitor numbers and spending. Additionally, gambling serves as a form of entertainment for local residents while providing jobs and tax revenue. This article analyzes gambling’s impact on tourism and entertainment through factors like:
- Contribution to tourism industry size and growth
- Role as an urban entertainment option
- Influence on business travel and meetings tourism
- Job creation in the tourism/hospitality sector
- Tax generation for public budgets
Gambling Tourism Market Size
The global gambling tourism market size already reached $100 billion in 2019. This market is forecast to grow at a 7.5% CAGR from 2022 to 2030 as more destinations open casinos and online sports betting.
Global Gambling Tourism Market Size, 2019-2030
| Year | Market Size | Growth |
| 2019 | $100 billion | |
| 2022 | $125 billion | 7.5% CAGR |
| 2030 | $240 billion | 7.5% CAGR |
Key factors influencing this rapid market expansion include:
- More countries legalizing casinos and sports betting
- Development of integrated resorts worldwide
- Rising middle class disposable incomes
- Transport improvements increasing access
Urban Entertainment Role
In addition to attracting tourists, gambling serves as a form of entertainment for local residents in areas with casinos. Major urban centers like Las Vegas, Singapore, and Macau have successfully developed gambling into one form of entertainment among many.
Las Vegas visitor numbers actually skewed 60% local residents to 40% tourists in 2021. Locals enjoy gambling alongside various shows, dining, nightlife, and shopping options along the famous Strip. Singapore’s two massive integrated resorts featuring casinos exist mainly to enhance local lifestyle through their entertainment at shopping malls, theaters, restaurants, hotels and convention space. Macau residents utilize the 41 casinos for gambling alongside this Special Administrative Region’s heritage sites, festivals and cuisine.
Business Travel Impact
While most gambling destinations rely on leisure tourists, the meetings and business travel market is also substantial. Las Vegas hosted over 6.2 million business travelers in 2019 with Over $5.8 billion in total meetings and conventions spending. Casino hotels offer large conferences while also enabling visiting corporate groups to gamble during their trip.
Singapore’s two integrated resorts both focus intently on the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conventions & Exhibitions) segment. They contain extensive meeting facilities from ballrooms to breakout rooms plus organizer offices and advanced audiovisual technology. Their indoor proximity between gambling floors and meeting spaces delivers convenience whether visiting executives gamble during free time or companies book small incentive trips. Macau’s Cotai strip also positions various new casino resorts to welcome China’s fast-rising corporate travel and meetings sector.
Job Creation Impact
The tourism and hospitality industry surrounding gambling hubs creates abundant employment. Las Vegas employed over 305,000 workers in leisure and hospitality roles during 2020 despite the Covid-19 pandemic. Atlantic City’s casino hotels directly employ about 27,000 staff. Singapore’s two mega-casino resorts created over 20,000 jobs just between their opening in 2010 through 2013.
The high number of restaurants, theaters, theme parks, shops and hotels negate gambling’s association with vice to become normal hospitality industry work. Cotai strip construction created 44,000 jobs by 2016 across aviator game resorts, shopping malls and infrastructure projects. Numerous finance, marketing, tech and compliance positions also exist across the gambling tourism sector.
Tax Contribution Impact
Gambling tourism’s economic impact spreads across supporting industries from food and beverage to transport. However, the direct tax contributions from gambling activities also remain substantial for public budgets.
Nevada casinos generated over $863 million in gambling tax revenues during fiscal year 2021. New Jersey’s gambling expansion to online sports betting now sees average monthly revenues reaching $50 million with tax income doubling year over year. Singapore gained about $2 billion in casino tax income by 2013 after the prior year’s launch of its two mega-resorts.
This tax income funds major public services from infrastructure to schools and housing in gambling destinations. The activity proves a controversial but vital income source for many regional economies.
Conclusion
While societal views on gambling remain mixed, its position in driving tourism, entertainment and economic growth is undeniable. Destinations worldwide now rely on casinos, integrated resorts and sports betting as core products to attract visitors. For urban areas, gambling also plays a major role among local entertainment options. The tourism industry size and taxes generated impact national economies too. Despite its risks, the gambling sector should be leveraged responsibly as a growth engine.
