Lucky Dragon brings new excitement

Casino openings excite us because we long to enjoy something we’ve never seen before.

For many, the openings of The Mirage (the arrival of the Strip megaresort era), Luxor (a unique idea and design), the Stratosphere (are you kidding … a 1,000foot tower?) and Bellagio (what will Steve Wynn think of next?) have been highlights across the years.

Next up: Saturday’s grand opening of the Lucky Dragon. The anticipation is real not only because it’s the first from-the-ground-up property to open since The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas in 2010, but because it portends to be something new in the Las Vegas market, and that’s saying something in a city that celebrates all kinds of unusual ideas.

The owners were so excited about showing the place off to the public that they opened the doors two weeks ahead of the grand opening. That’s not a conventional move, but then, the Lucky Dragon defies convention.

The early reviews of the place have been very positive, but I’m convinced, after talking with President and CEO Andrew Fonfa, that the best is yet to come.

The anticipation of opening a boutique property that is Chinese first, English second, catering primarily to the taste, style and palate of Asians, has inspired casino rivals in the neighborhood to take to billboards advertising in Chinese.

“I’ve never seen so many Chinese billboards,” Fonfa said from his office atop the Allure residential unit that’s attached to the east side of the Lucky Dragon.

Fonfa said the 27,500-square-foot casino is a Chinese gambling hall, pure and simple. Major players around town have congratulated him for the beauty of the project and sticking to the boutique concept, he said. Fonfa figures the Lucky Dragon will be a success, but possibly not from the sources one might expect. And he welcomes the competition nearby rivals have generated.

“We hope everybody succeeds with what they’re trying to do,” Fonfa said. “I think we’re going to get our piece of the pie, our share. I think every Asian gambler and every Asian person that loves Chinese food is going to visit our casino and visit our hotel and if we deliver on the execution of the food and they like the intimacy of our gambling, we’re going to get our piece of the pie.

“Are we going to get all of it? No. If we can get a