While Internet companies see Asian markets as having great financial investment potential, in the United States it is the land casinos markets that are really booming at the moment.

According to an article in the Associated Press, Foxwoods and its nearby rival Mohegan Sun send more than 100 buses combined every day to predominantly Asian neighborhoods in Boston and New York to pick up players and this number doubles during the Chinese New Year and the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

If you determine the size of a casino by gambling floor space, Foxwoods Casino is the largest one in the world and they estimate that at least one-third of their 40,000 customers per day are Asian. Not far behind, is Mohegan Sun, which claims Asian spending makes up a fifth of its business, an amount that has increased by 12% during the first half of this year alone.

The number of Asians in the United States increased by 17 percent between the years 2000 and 2004, making it the fastest recorded growth of any ethnic group in that period. The U.S. land gaming industry, moreover, has catered to the Asian boom with a degree of cultural competency that far surpasses that of any other gaming industry.

Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun have successfully marketed their product by placing ads in ethnic media, providing restaurants that serve Asian food and sponsoring Asian community activities. Foxwood’s director of Asian Marketing, Ernie Wu, said “Our Asian blood loves to feel the luck. But we call it entertainment, not gambling.”

A key component of the marketing strategy is the use of the buses. Customers pay ten dollars for a round-trip bus fare that includes a $12 food coupon and a $40 gambling coupon thrown in by the casino. Language skills are not required for gambling and casinos have set up tables featuring favorite Asian games such as Pai Gow poker and dominoes, Sic Bo and Baccarat. Furthermore, Foxwoods has adorned its entrance to the massive “Asian Pit” with carved wooden panels. Large numbers of Asian customers populate the casinos and they both watch and play the games offered.

To keep the non-players occupied, the casinos provide Asian concerts and shows and the Mohegan Sun has brought Asian superstar singers to perform at its 10,000-seat arena.

Of the 13,000-person staff at Foxwoods, about one fifth of them are Asian and the dealers are careful not to invoke Asian superstitions.

Posted on: August 17, 2006

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