On the Bethlehem side of the route, a gentle culture shift has begun as thousands of Asian visitors find the city each day by casino bus, many of them fanning out across the South Side to while away the hours until they return. Back in New York, the urban neighborhoods whose populations are dominated by Asian immigrants have quickly become casino bus towns, where downtown streets are clogged by idling tour buses boarding people en route to Atlantic City, Connecticut and, most frequently, Bethlehem. The steady flow of buses has brought with it a cultural change of sorts on both sides of the route. They buy the cards, sometimes dozens a day, at a $5 discount from people like Cui, in the hope of riding back home with a wallet full of winnings. Some simply like to gamble, and the deal the Sands is offering is better - and closer - than what they can get at casinos in New Jersey or Connecticut.Ī few are there to turn the casino odds in their favor.
