Las Vegas is one of the most visited cities in the world and is the 2nd most popular tourist destination for Canadians. It’s not hard to see why, as it offers everything from fine dining to all-night parties, alongside luxury hotels and casinos. Whether you’re looking to catch a show or try your luck at the roulette wheel, it’s a fantastic place for a vacation. However, there’s more to the entertainment capital of the world than meets the eye.
Here are some fantastic facts about Las Vegas that will have you seeing the city in a whole new light. You might find yourself booking your next trip sooner than you think! Of course, if a Vegas vacation isn’t on the cards just yet, you can always get the casino experience from the comfort of your home. Our step-by-step guide to the best online casinos in Canada is a great place to visit if you want to try your luck.
It isn’t the gambling capital of the World
When you think of casinos, your mind automatically jumps to one place: Las Vegas. However, despite its reputation, the city isn’t actually the gambling capital of the world, with that title instead going to the city of Macau in China.
It’s estimated that the casino business in Macau is four times larger than Las Vegas’, with people travelling from all over Asia to try out the games. This is possibly helped by the fact that it is the only place in China where gambling is not illegal, concentrating all of the nation’s casinos into one city.
The strip isn’t actually in Las Vegas
The most iconic image of Las Vegas is that of the strip, with the casinos all lit up against the night sky. However, despite being one of the things most people associate with the city, the famous strip isn’t actually in Las Vegas at all! Instead, the famous casinos are mostly located in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated town next to Las Vegas. There have been several attempts to make the strip part of Las Vegas proper, but that would add an extra layer of administration for the casinos, so it’s generally been resisted. The same applies to the iconic “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign, by the way. It’s not actually in the city, but four miles south of it!
It’s home to the world’s largest single-hotel building
It’s no surprise that Las Vegas has plenty of hotels; with the millions of visitors, it gets every year, it needs plenty of places for everyone to stay! However, the size of the hotels is something a lot of people underestimate. In fact, the largest single hotel building is located in Las Vegas: The MGM Grand Las Vegas. It boasts over 5,000 rooms in just one of its buildings, which is more than any other hotel can claim to have. Despite all this, it’s not the biggest hotel in the world, or even in Las Vegas! It is the third largest in the world overall, beaten out by Vegas’ The Venetian Resort as well as by the First World Hotel in Malaysia.
It’s the brightest city on the planet
If you were to view the planet from space, one city would stand out above all others: Las Vegas. The city is the most brightly lit in the world, with the neon of the casinos shining long into the night. In fact, Las Vegas is also the location of the brightest single beam of light in the world. The spotlight on top of the Luxor Hotel shines with the equivalent of 130,000 100-watt light bulbs and is visible from over 275 miles away! In fact, the beam is so bright it has created its own mini ecosystem. The light attracts thousands of moths, which in turn attracts bats who fly around eating the moths, which attracts owls that eat the bats!
It consumes an amazing amount of shrimp
Finally, there’s a statistic that will make you feel full just by reading it: Las Vegas residents and visitors eat more shrimp per day than anywhere else in the US. It’s thought that Las Vegas consumes 30 tons of shrimp every single day or 60,000 pounds. This might seem unbelievable, but the casino and hotel chain Caesars consumes around ten tons per day all on its own! All those buffets throughout the city add up, it seems. Of course, if you want to find out more about Las Vegas the best option is to visit the city. If that’s not possible, you can always enjoy some online gaming to get some of the experience without the travel costs.
