The second batch

Seven more stamps for the collection

One postcard only fits so much before the stamp gets in the way, so this is the second batch — seven more stops, each with its own opening date, its own operator, and its own reason someone bothered to build it. None of them paid for a mention here, and none of the links below go anywhere near a booking page or a table.

No. 01

Parañaque, Philippines

City of Dreams Manila

City of Dreams Manila had its soft opening in December 2014 and its grand opening on February 2, 2015, on the same Entertainment City strip as several of Manila Bay's other integrated resorts. The 15-acre complex was built as a sister property to Macau's City of Dreams, sharing the same Melco Resorts ownership and a similar mix of hotel brands under one roof.

The resort spreads 938 rooms across three hotels — Hyatt Regency, Nobu, and Nüwa — alongside its gaming floor and a DreamWorks-branded indoor play area aimed at family visitors, a slightly different mix than the mostly adult-oriented resorts elsewhere in the district.

Grand opening: February 2, 2015
Hotels: Hyatt Regency, Nobu, Nüwa
Sister resort: City of Dreams, Macau
Operator: Melco Resorts

Source: Wikipedia

No. 02

Phnom Penh, Cambodia

NagaWorld

NagaWorld's story starts on the water: the original gaming hall opened on May 1, 1995, aboard a boat moored on the Mekong River, before moving into a permanent land-based building in 2003. It remains Phnom Penh's only integrated hotel-and-gaming complex, run by the Hong Kong-listed NagaCorp under a 70-year licence that runs until 2065.

That licence also gives NagaCorp a monopoly on gaming operations within 200 kilometres of the capital until 2045, a rare degree of market exclusivity for a single operator. The resort has grown steadily since its river-barge beginnings and now counts more than 1,650 rooms and 300-plus gaming tables.

First opened: May 1, 1995 (river boat)
Land-based since: 2003
Licence runs to: 2065
Operator: NagaCorp

Source: Wikipedia

No. 03

Las Vegas, United States

Flamingo Las Vegas

The Flamingo opened on December 26, 1946, though its opening night is remembered almost as much for going wrong as for going ahead — a storm grounded the Hollywood guests flying in, and the still-unfinished hotel lost money in its first week. The project had originally been started by Hollywood Reporter founder Billy Wilkerson before mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel took it over, reportedly naming it after his girlfriend Virginia Hill.

The Flamingo is the oldest resort still operating on the Strip, having outlasted the era it helped start by nearly eight decades. Now owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment, it has grown to 3,460 rooms and a 72,299-square-foot gaming floor, a very different scale from Siegel's original 105-room hotel.

Opened: December 26, 1946
Distinction: Oldest resort still on the Strip
Rooms today: 3,460
Operator: Caesars Entertainment

Source: Wikipedia

No. 04

Biloxi, Mississippi, United States

Beau Rivage Resort

Beau Rivage opened on March 15, 1999, on a $750 million budget that was, at the time, the largest single investment in Mississippi's history. With 1,740 rooms, it opened as the largest hotel-and-gaming resort in the United States outside Nevada — its gaming floor built on barges, as state law then required all Mississippi gaming floors to float rather than sit on dry land.

The resort took a direct hit from Hurricane Katrina's 30-foot storm surge on August 29, 2005, and was rebuilt to reopen exactly one year later, on August 29, 2006. It is now owned by VICI Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International.

Opened: March 15, 1999
Investment: $750 million
Rebuilt after Katrina: Reopened Aug. 29, 2006
Operator: MGM Resorts International

Source: Wikipedia

No. 05

Baden, Switzerland

Grand Baden

Grand Baden operates inside the Kursaal, a protected historic building in Baden's spa park that was built in 1875 to designs by architect Robert Moser and inaugurated that May with a concert, a banquet and a ball. The building has anchored the town's social life for a century and a half, long before it became a gaming venue at all.

Gaming moved in only in 2002, when the Kursaal was converted into the Grand Baden it is today. It holds one of just eight Swiss "A" licences, which allow an unlimited number of tables and slot machines, and stays open every day of the year.

Building completed: 1875
Gaming operating since: 2002
Licence: Swiss "A" licence (unlimited games)
Setting: Baden's historic Kursaal, spa park

Source: Wikipedia (German)

No. 06

Darwin, Australia

Mindil Beach Resort

This beachfront property has changed hands and names more often than most on this list. Licensed in 1979 as the Don, and opened properly in 1983 as Australia's second gaming venue, it was later renamed Diamond Beach Hotel, then MGM Grand Darwin after MGM bought it in 1995, then SkyCity Darwin once SkyCity Entertainment Group took over in 2004.

SkyCity sold the resort to the American operator Delaware North in 2019 for roughly A$188 million, and it now trades under its current name, Mindil Beach Resort, on the same Darwin waterfront site it has occupied since the early 1980s.

First opened: 1983 (as Darwin's 2nd gaming venue)
Former names: MGM Grand Darwin, SkyCity Darwin
Current name since: 2019
Operator: Delaware North

Source: Wikipedia

No. 07

Gold Coast, Australia

The Star Gold Coast

Opened in November 1985 as Conrad Jupiters, this was Queensland's first gaming venue, built beside the Nerang River on a seven-acre site that has since grown to include eight bars, seven restaurants and 1,171 hotel rooms across its towers. It was rebranded The Star Gold Coast in 2017 to align with its sister properties in Sydney and Brisbane under the Star Entertainment Group.

Since 1987, one per cent of the property's gross gaming revenue has been paid into Queensland's Gambling Community Benefit Fund, a state-administered scheme that redistributes the money to non-profit community groups across the state.

Opened: November 1985, as Conrad Jupiters
Distinction: Queensland's first gaming venue
Renamed: The Star Gold Coast, 2017
Operator: Star Entertainment Group

Source: Wikipedia

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