Las Vegas has the most famous casino pools, but it is not the only gambling capital with a summer scene. Atlantic City offers the ocean on the doorstep and Macau has pool decks on a scale that rivals any desert resort. Here is how they compare.
Atlantic City: casinos with a real beach
Atlantic City has been a seaside resort since the 19th century, and the first section of its Boardwalk opened in 1870. New Jersey voters approved casino gambling there in 1976, and the first casino opened in 1978. Today the big casino resorts line the Boardwalk and the marina district, and the city's beaches are free to use, a rarity on the New Jersey shore where many towns charge for beach tags.
Pools to know
- Harrah's Resort: The Pool is a glass-domed indoor pool with palm trees and a tropical feel, open year-round, and it turns into a nightlife venue on some evenings.
- Borgata: a spa-style pool in the marina district, away from the Boardwalk crowds.
- Ocean Casino Resort: the tall glass tower that opened in 2012 as Revel, closed in 2014 and reopened in 2018 under its current name, with pool and beach-club options facing the sea.
- Boardwalk resorts: properties such as Hard Rock (the former Trump Taj Mahal), Caesars and Resorts sit right on the Boardwalk, so the beach itself is the pool.
The season is shorter than in Las Vegas: the beach and outdoor pools are at their best from June to early September, while indoor pools such as Harrah's keep going all year.
Macau: pool decks on a grand scale
Macau, a special administrative region of China, is the only part of the country where casino gambling is legal, and in most years since the mid-2000s its gaming revenue has far exceeded that of the Las Vegas Strip. The resorts of the Cotai Strip, built on reclaimed land between the islands of Taipa and Coloane, answered Las Vegas pool for pool.
- Galaxy Macau: its Grand Resort Deck is one of the largest resort pool areas in the world, with a wave pool, a long rooftop lazy river and an artificial beach of white sand, by the resort's own description.
- The Venetian Macao: opened in 2007 and modelled on its Las Vegas namesake, with a large outdoor pool deck alongside its canals and enormous casino floor.
- Studio City: has added a water park with indoor and outdoor sections.
- Wynn Palace and the Cotai resorts: landscaped pools and gardens, many reserved for hotel guests.
Macau summers are hot and humid, with typhoon season from roughly May to October, so indoor pools and covered decks earn their keep. For real sand, Hac Sa beach on Coloane has dark volcanic-looking sand and is a short taxi ride from the Cotai resorts.
Comparing the three capitals
| Las Vegas | Atlantic City | Macau | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool season | Roughly March to October | June to early September outdoors; indoor year-round | Year-round, best in autumn and spring |
| Signature pool | Mandalay Bay wave pool, Caesars' Garden of the Gods | Harrah's domed pool | Galaxy Macau's Grand Resort Deck |
| Real beach | No (artificial sand only) | Yes, free, on the Atlantic | Yes, at Hac Sa and Cheoc Van on Coloane |
| Main table game | Blackjack, craps | Blackjack, slots | Baccarat |
Baccarat: Macau's game
If you head to Macau, learn baccarat: it dominates the casino floors. The rules are simple, since you bet on the "player" hand, the "banker" hand or a tie, and the dealer handles everything else. The banker bet has a house edge of about 1.06%, among the lowest in the casino, while the tie bet's edge is far higher. That is one reason baccarat is so popular with serious players, and why it makes a good first game for a pool-and-casino holiday.
For the US desert version of all this, read about the best casino resort pools and Las Vegas pool parties and dayclubs; for an ocean-going alternative, try casino cruise sea days, and for the beach-day packing list, see our beach essentials.
