Investing in gaming stocks not only puts the house on your side -- it can put macro economic trends on your side as well. You can pick from mature markets like the U.S., or growing markets like Macau and Singapore. But which stock stacks the deck most in your favor?

Sucker bets
Stay far away from Las Vegas. What happens in Las Vegas may stay there, but more and more visitors are choosing to leave fewer gaming dollars there as well. And at the same time, huge developments like CityCenter and Cosmopolitan have added thousands of rooms to The Strip, leaving demand far smaller than supply right now. Sorry, MGM Resorts (NYSE: MGM), but there are much better choices out there.

Knowing your way around the tables
The two hot spots of Asia have become Singapore and Macau. But even Macau casinos aren't created equal. If I'm going to invest in gaming stocks, I want exposure to the newest gaming epicenter, the Cotai Strip. Wynn Resorts (Nasdaq: WYNN) is out of the picture until it gets going on its Cotai development.

A contrast in style
That leaves two companies standing, offering two very different choices. The gaming world often forgets Melco Crown (Nasdaq: MPEL), which gets lost among the giants with which it competes. But Melco has a phenomenal development on the Cotai Strip, The City of Dreams, and operations have been improving in recent quarters. This Fool has been leading the Melco bandwagon for quite a while, but after rising 51% so far this year, the company's stock isn't as cheap as it once was. That leaves an opening for the only company with casinos on the Cotai Strip and in Singapore.

Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) gets the most headlines in the industry, both good and bad, in part because it has some of the best properties in Asia. Its Singapore casino is already the world's most profitable, and no company can come close to what Sands owns on the Cotai Strip. The Venetian Macau and Four Seasons Macau are up and running, while its fifth and sixth sites are under construction and its third site waits in the wings. If Macau continues to grow, no company is in better position to benefit.

A Fool's choice
It's a tight race between Melco Crown and Las Vegas Sands right now, and depending on your risk tolerance, you could swing either way. But I'm going to give this decision to Las Vegas Sands, for its enormous growth potential and high-quality properties.

Which company do you think gives the best odds right now? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below.

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