Finding a place to throw money in a slot machine, on a blackjack table or on a roulette number is as easy as getting sunburned in Panama. From the “Vegas-Style” Veneto Casino to the number of smaller Crown Casino’s gambling is a common activity for locals and tourists alike in the great Panama City. For those looking for the rush of making it big, or the more common feeling of losing half a paycheck in 30 minutes, there are a variety of locations to make this happen.
To completely forget you are in a modern metropolis nestled on a canal in Central America, go visit the Golden Lion Casino in El Dorado for a change of scenery. Just cruising down the main drag and up to the casino you will notice the majority of the shop signs are posted in Chinese as well as Spanish and you will begin to say to yourself “where am I?” As you enter the large red and gold building you completely forget about Panama. The two floors of slot machines and table games feel like a gigantic Chinese Restaurant. From lanterns on the ceiling to statues of stone dragons the casino gives an authentic feeling of being in the Far East. With cheap egg rolls that are so delicious they alone make the place worth a visit and fair priced buckets of national beers the Golden Lion Casino is not a bad choice to spend a day off. 
The majority of the patrons are also Chinese and you can find them shouting words you can’t understand and slamming down chips at the constantly crowded Baccarat tables. For the big spenders there’s a large VIP poker room in the back. The sights, smells and sounds truly take you away to a distant land and as you stumble out of the casino as the sun sets (or rises) you realize you forgot what country you were in for a brief moment in time.
