Bally’s Dover Casino Brings Flavors of China’s Macau to Delaware

Posted on: February 21, 2025, 04:26h. 

Last updated on: February 21, 2025, 04:26h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Bally’s Dover opened its newest eatery earlier this month. It’s geared towards attracting Asian high rollers to the racino in the Delaware capital city.

Bally's Dover Delaware Macau Kitchen
Bally’s Dover recently opened Macau Kitchen next to its High-Limit Room. Macau Kitchen offers Asian-inspired dishes from China and Vietnam. (Image: Bally’s Dover)

Not many think China and its Special Administrative Region of Macau, one of two SARs controlled by the People’s Republic along with Hong Kong, when the think of Delaware.

Rhode Island-based Bally’s Corp., which acquired the Dover casino in 2019, is nonetheless betting that its newest attraction will resonate with Chinese visitors and anyone else who fancies Asian cuisine. Macau is the world’s richest gaming market, with gamblers there losing about $28.3 billion last year.

Macau Kitchen at Bally’s Dover celebrates “the rich flavors of Asian cuisine centered around signature noodle soups, wok specialties, and traditional Chinese and Vietnamese dishes.” The food is complimented by craft cocktails, a curated wine list, international beers, including those found in China, and bubble teas.

Macau Kitchen took the space of Just Breakfast, which closed last fall. Bally’s sold the physical assets of the Dover destination in June 2021 to Gaming and Leisure Properties, the real estate investment trust controlled by Penn Entertainment. Bally’s leases its gaming and hotel operations from the REIT.

Delaware Casinos Benefit State 

Delaware is home to three racetrack casinos, with Delaware Park and Harrington Raceway the others. All three operate slot-like video lottery terminals (VLT) on behalf of the state.

Of the gross gaming revenue won by the machines, the casinos keep 44% of the proceeds. The state takes 38%, about 10% goes to fund state horse racing purses, and the remaining 8% is set aside to cover the Delaware Lottery’s management costs of the central VLT system.

The racinos additionally contribute 15.5% of their table game win to the state and 4.5% to the horsemen. The casinos keep the remaining 80%.

In the 2024 fiscal year, Bally’s Dover ranked second behind Delaware Park in Wilmington in terms of VLT revenue despite having more machines — 1,927 at Delaware Park to 2,207 at Bally’s Dover. Bally’s slot revenue totaled $145.3 million to Delaware Park at $168.5 million.

Bally’s Dover also trailed Delaware Park in table revenue. The 28 table games in Dover won $15.4 million from gamblers to Delaware Park’s 44 tables keeping over $25.1 million of the bets.

Harrington placed third in both VLT and table win. Its slots won $38.2 million and tables $10.2 million during the July 2023 through June 2024 period. 

Bally’s Asian Focus 

Bally’s Dover’s bet on Macau Kitchen is presumably to cater to Asian gamblers.

The Asian-focused restaurant is adjacent to the casino’s newly opened High-Limit Room, which Bally’s wrote on Instagram last month is a “high-limit Asian gaming area.” The high-stakes carousel includes three mini-baccarat tables and two blackjack tables. Baccarat is the game of choice for many Asian gamblers.

Whether Macau Kitchen and the Asian-focused high-limit area will pay off for Bally’s Dover will be determined in the coming months.

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that 4.4% of Delaware residents are Asian. Almost seven in 10 are white and 24% are Black.