Abstract
AbstractThe recent upsurge in licensed, themed gambling emporiums in Macao, South Africa, and Britain signals the emergence of the casino city as a global model of urban development and consumer culture. Casino cities thrive at the intersection of three complementary commercial spheres: the luxury goods and services industry, the corporate gaming (gambling) sector, and the international tourist trade. Critics have expressed concern that the casino city is encased in a straightjacket of blandness and predictability. Furthermore, it tends to steamroll indigenous culture and heritage, or alternately, co‐opt it in order to create the illusion of the exotic. Finally, the casino city is a dual city where enclaves of conspicuous consumption and spectatorship are juxtaposed to areas of poverty and despair.
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