12 of the Most Amazing Casinos in the World
Some casinos are just rooms full of machines. Others are palaces, landmarks and works of architecture you would happily visit without touching a single chip. Here are twelve of the most amazing casinos on Earth, in the Tales Maze tradition of places to see before you die.
1Casino de Monte-Carlo, Monaco
The most famous casino in the world opened in the 1860s on a rocky plateau that was renamed Monte Carlo in honour of Prince Charles III. Its belle époque building, partly designed by Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opera, is all gilded ceilings, onyx columns and stained glass, with an opera house attached. Fun fact: Monaco's own citizens are not allowed to gamble there.
2Kurhaus Casino, Baden-Baden, Germany
Gaming rooms decorated in the style of French royal palaces, inside a columned spa building of the 1820s. Fyodor Dostoevsky lost heavily in the German spa casinos and turned the experience into his novel The Gambler. The town is part of the Great Spa Towns of Europe World Heritage Site, as we explain in our World Heritage list.
3Casinò di Venezia, Italy
Venice opened the Ridotto, often called the first public casino, in 1638. Today's casino occupies Ca' Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace on the Grand Canal, and many guests still arrive by boat. The full story is in our Venice guide.
4The Venetian Macao, China
Opened in 2007, this replica of Venice, complete with indoor canals and singing gondoliers, houses one of the largest casino floors on the planet inside one of the largest buildings in the world by floor area.
5Grand Lisboa, Macau
A golden tower shaped like a lotus flower that rises above old Macau, opened in 2007 and 2008. Inside, the owners displayed a famous collection of Chinese art and some astonishing gemstones.
6Bellagio, Las Vegas, USA
Opened in 1998 and inspired by Lake Como, the Bellagio is fronted by an artificial lake where the famous fountains dance to music every evening. Inside there is a glass ceiling of colourful blown-glass flowers and a seasonal botanical conservatory. The 2001 film Ocean's Eleven made its vault the most famous in cinema.
7Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
Three 55-storey towers joined at the top by a ship-shaped sky park with an infinity pool, opened in 2010. Foreign visitors walk into the casino freely, while Singapore citizens and permanent residents have to pay an entry levy, a deliberate brake on local gambling.
8Casino Estoril, Portugal
On the coast near Lisbon, Estoril has drawn gamblers to its casino since the early 20th century. During the Second World War neutral Portugal was full of spies, refugees and exiled royals, and Ian Fleming, then a naval intelligence officer, is said to have watched a high-stakes game here that helped inspire Casino Royale.
9Sun City, South Africa
A resort in the bush two hours from Johannesburg, opened in 1979, with a fantasy jungle palace, the Palace of the Lost City, added in 1992. It has a wave pool, a golf course with crocodiles in a water hazard and a game reserve next door.
10Casino de Montréal, Canada
Housed in the futuristic French pavilion of the Expo 67 world's fair on Île Notre-Dame, plus the neighbouring Quebec pavilion, the casino opened in 1993 and is one of the largest in Canada. It glows at night across the St Lawrence River.
11Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas
A pink resort built around the legend of the lost city of Atlantis, with a large casino, huge aquariums, a water park and a slide that shoots you through a shark tank.
12Crown Melbourne, Australia
A riverside entertainment complex on the Yarra. At night, gas towers along the Southbank promenade shoot giant fireballs into the air on the hour, one of the strangest free shows in any casino city.
What makes a casino amazing?
The best casinos sell an atmosphere as much as a game: history in Monte Carlo and Venice, spectacle in Las Vegas and Macau, design in Singapore and Montréal. Many offer guided tours or daytime visits to the public rooms, so you can enjoy the architecture without playing at all. If you do play, it helps to understand the odds first; start with The Science of Luck.
For the cities around these casinos, and what to see when you step outside, read 7 Casino Cities to See Before You Die.
