Atlantic City Casino Buildings, Las Vegas Gaming Resorts, US Gambling Experience

Casino architecture differences in Las Vegas and Atlantic City

Aug 18, 2020

If you are a casino games aficionado travelling to the United States, you’ll be looking at no more than two locations to head to. Although you can find elite casinos all over the country, the choice is usually narrowed down to Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

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Casino Architecture Differences in Las Vegas & Atlantic City, USA

Obviously, the Nevada desert’s gambling capital of the world still holds the top spot. On the other hand, if you want to visit New York and be on a two-hour distance from the top-notch gambling experience, you’ll no doubts enjoy the entertainment offered by one of nine Atlantic City casinos. People have used so many parameters to compare the two places, but architecture has rarely been among these. We decided to explore the architectural differences between Las Vegas and Atlantic City casinos.

Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa shapes Atlantic City architecture

Borgata Online Casino is huge in the United States nowadays, but it is the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa that helps the company truly stand out. When dealing with Atlantic City’s architecture, we have to dedicate special attention to this specific complex. The building was established in the 19^th century and initially had the role of a health resort. It was rebuilt as a hotel (in the form we know it today) in 2003. It is very hard to ignore the eye-catching and intriguing architecture that combines both Modernism and Tuscan themes. Hotel’s towering buildings are its trademark. The main tower represents the third biggest building in Atlantic City and significantly shapes the place’s landmark.

The majority of other local casinos offer more or less similar designs. It usually involves mirrored glass panels following the major principles of structural modernism in a highly sophisticated fashion. The panels bounce off the sunlight in all directions making the places even more appealing. We can recognize functional architecture, used mainly in the 1950s (post-war years) at a couple of casinos.

Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip is the heart of the architectural magic Nevada’s jewel is known for. The developers have constantly experimented with new styles for decades, searching for ways to allure the crowd and make Las Vegas look like the gambling capital of the world. Making casino signs and porte-cocheres (among others) larger seemed to be the main rule. The designers looked for the utility of positive-negative spaces.

The usage of light was brought to a whole new level. Overall, the volume of every single detail was much bigger than the case was with Atlantic City venues. It is probably the core difference between the two and one of the reasons why Sin City casinos have always been the dominant force when compared to those at Atlantic City.

The architectural impressiveness of such land-based casinos is one of the main reasons why the strong development of the online casino industry has never affected physical venues in Las Vegas.

Significant venues

Since Las Vegas has three times more casinos than Atlantic City, it is natural to expect more exotic and amazing gambling locations there. We will mention several monumental buildings whose architecture will no doubts leave you speechless whenever you get the chance to visit them.

There is hardly a casino game admirer who has never heard of Bellagio. Besides the unparalleled volume of both slots and table games, it stands out for a phenomenal visual appearance created by lake and fountains. We also have to mention the sculpture of glass flowers in the lobby, as well as a botanical garden.

Are you a fan of ancient Egypt maybe? In the sea of Egyptian-themed slots, there is a hotel and casino built in the shape of an Egyptian pyramid in Las Vegas. Yes, you heard right. The Luxor Las Vegas Resort, built in 1993, is a synonym of post-modern architecture.

We also have to mention the Stratosphere Hotel and Casino, the tallest building in Las Vegas. The fans of the “art deco” architecture will be amused by The Flamingo, the oldest place in the strip.

Final words

While one can find a solid portion of similarities in the design of Atlantic City and Las Vegas casinos, it is very hard to ignore the fact the Las Vegas Strip offers much more exceptional and appealing architectural works. After all, it is not known as the gambling capital of the world for no reason. Magical buildings and creations are certainly one of the numerous factors to affect the overall opinion.

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