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How Casinos Celebrate Local Traditions Worldwide

July 2, 2025

Casinos all over the world open up their doors to people from all walks of life. There is no absolutely no discrimination from casinos as people from different religions, ethnicities are all welcomed.

Businesses and organisations – including online casinos – put a great deal of stock into celebrating traditional holidays or culturally significant events and casinos are very much the same. Traditional events form a huge part of a casino’s social calendar. Whether it be Christmas, Chinese New Year or even the Super Bowl, there are many different steps that casinos take to try and make these traditions and events as special as possible.

Let’s dive into some of this detail.

Christmas is celebrated all over the world

Christmas and casinos are big business. Casinos in Europe, the U.S and Australia often host christmas parties where people can gather at the casino, play some games but also enjoy a traditional Christmas dinner. 

Ideal for corporate nights out or if friends want to meet up. Casinos have always been popular with party organisers as it can provide a unique social environment where people can have plenty of fun. 

Christmas is often one of the busiest times of the year for casinos, people are off work and have money to spend. Usually there is no expense spared when it comes to the decorations, menu and entertainment that is put on.

They say that Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, that is certainly the case with casinos.

Casinos often bring the New Year in style

Just after Christmas comes New Year and New Year is a huge night in the casino social calendar. Usually New Year parties at casinos are high class affairs with guests encouraged to dress to the nines and impress. 

With the guest list for any New Year parties usually limited, those seeing in the bells in a casino are often treated to Champagne, cocktails and canapes. One of the most special nights of the year, casinos often try to make it that way.

Chinese New Year is often a night like no other

Chinese New Year is a special night in Chinese culture and tradition and you can be rest assured that it is a tradition that casinos love to observe.

In Macau, in particular, Chinese New Year is spectacular. As well as street parades and parades, the Macau skyline is often lit up by fireworks and the celebrations will go on long into the night.

It isn’t just in the east where Chinese New Year is celebrated. With many casinos across the world having Chinese themed slot games and popular games such as Baccarat, casinos will try and tap into the tradition by padding out the casino in Chinese decorations. Chinese menus may also be put on to try and give casein guests an authentic Chinese experience.

Whether it’s the year of the dog, snake or the pig, Chinese New Year is always wildly celebrated.

Tribal casinos play homage to their ancestors

Over in North America there has always been a great debate about casino and entertainment complexes being built where once the Indian grand reservation once stood. 

However over time, some of the traditional Indian tribes have got involved in the casino industry. The Mohegan and Mashantucket Pequot Tribes are two tribes that have casino ownership and in order to tie their local communities into the casinos they own, they will often hold native Indian craft fairs and powwows. 

They will also source local ingredients and have menus that contain rich Indian history.

The issue of casinos being built on ancient land will be forever debated, but by involving the local community to the levels that they have, these casinos have managed to get the community on board and pay respect to their ancestors in the best way they can.

Decorations can provide more than a subtle nod to the past

One of the easiest ways to ensure that a casino is embracing the local culture of the town it is built and is respectful of the local culture is through how they choose to decorate their casinos.

There are some casinos in Africa and Australia who pay homage to their native pasts by including indulgent carvings into the woodwork or pillars. Others pay homage to their local cultures by including hanging banners or having menus and furnishes that pay respect to the past.

It is often the decorations of a casino that can have a lasting memory. The casino can change the decorations easily for any local events or to observe any traditions. If casinos can get their decorations right, this can go a long way in ensuring that local traditions and events are observed.

Is it important for casinos to celebrate local traditions?

The undoubted answer to this has to be yes. Casinos are often a much debated topic particularly when they are built or appear within communities where gambling isn’t permitted or is frowned upon.

What casinos often need to do is ingratiate themselves quickly within the local community. Respecting local events is a huge way in which they can do this. There are times where casinos don’t need to particularly do anything special, but what can happen is that they can observe it from a distance.

If there are events like Ramadan and the casino has Muslim employees, they need to be respectful of tradition. Therefore work schedules might need to be adjusted.

If a casino puts on food or drink, there could well be certain foods that people can’t eat due to religious reasons or because of a particular event. Just ensuring all of the little details are observed is crucial for ensuring that casinos become a big and successful part of the local community.

Written By
David Lynch

Experienced writer and editor based in Ireland. Attends poker events, covers all casino games and slots, but is really a keen blackjack and roulette player at heart. A sports fanatic among all other things with a soft spot for soccer and F1