A great luxury casino has never just been about table games and slots, and from the very beginning, the world’s most opulent venues have been built and designed to serve as a stage, making every evening spent within their walls feel like an event. Think marble staircases, intricately-painted ceilings and glittering chandeliers throwing light across a room full of people who are dressed for the occasion in a way that underlines the refined and elevated atmosphere these spaces exude.
Long before anyone had started thinking in too much detail about the odds of a table game or even their strategy to try and chase a win, venues like these were selling themselves based on ambience alone, and spending extravagantly to do it – with every detail meticulously chosen to appeal to the tastes of the rich, famous and global elite.
That theatre has mostly left everyday play, with modern venues, although still steeped in luxury, taking on a more relaxed feel, and many of those with busy lifestyles opting to log onto online casinos via their smartphones instead. Accessible anywhere, anytime, they cater seamlessly to the needs of those with busy, jet-setting lifestyles, allowing them to enjoy games like poker, blackjack and roulette at just a few taps of their screen.
Although you can now easily take your pick of the best casino sites on casino.net and other popular platforms, there’s just something about a night at a luxurious, land-based casino that can’t be matched – even if the dress codes aren’t as formal as they once were. The elegance remains, both through the level of service provided, and most importantly, the spectacular spaces in which they are set. The grand rooms of times gone by still remain, and a handful of them still rank among the most extravagant leisure buildings ever erected.
Here are four that are worth seeing and experiencing for the architecture alone.
Casino de Monte Carlo, Monaco: The casino that looks like an opera house
The Casino de Monte-Carlo in Monaco is undoubtedly one of the most iconic casino buildings in the world, and with good reason. Its stunning Belle Époque architecture sets the tone for a refined evening within, with its most celebrated rooms the work of Charles Garnier, the celebrated French architect behind the Palais Garnier in Paris, who extended the building in the late 1870s in the same lavish style seen throughout. Gilded, mirrored and topped with its own theatre, it single-handedly turned a small stretch of coast into one of the most glamorous destinations in Europe, and has even served as the setting for a James Bond film or two.
Casino Baden-Baden, Germany: Beauty in a sophisticated spa town
The spa town of Baden-Baden in Germany is home to the famous Baden-Baden casino, which is located inside a dramatic 19th-century Kurhaus and features salons modelled on French royal palaces. Iconic German-born actress Marlene Dietrich is said to have called it the most beautiful casino in the world, and its elegant red-and-gold rooms are certainly deserving of the compliment – and its location amongst the Kurkhaus’ pump rooms and gardens of a resort built for slow, elegant days, further underline the point.
Casino di Venezia, Italy: Birthplace of the casino
The origins of the modern casino can be found in elegant Venice, Italy. The first ever casino, Casino di Venezia, was completed in the late 15th century and occupies Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, a Renaissance palace on the Grand Canal where the composer Richard Wagner spent his final months. Featuring soaring ceilings, marble fireplaces, carved woodwork, gilded ornament, crystal chandeliers, frescoed ceilings, and elegant stucco detailing, the building alone is worth the trip down Venice’s Grand Canal to see – but of course, this unique city offers much more to see besides.
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore: The modern statement
In Singapore, the internationally-renowned Marina Bay Sands mega resort is undoubtedly the most instantly recognisable sight on its skyline, and when Moshe Safdie, the Israeli architect behind its design, opted to link a boat-shaped SkyPark across three 55-storey towers when it opened in 2010, he put it well and truly on the global map. It’s the clearest sign that the concept of casinos as spectacles did not die with the Belle Époque – rather, it simply changed continents and added an infinity pool with a view for good measure.
The bottom line
If there’s one thing in particular that all of these four venues share, it’s confidence – with each built on the idea that the setting is as important as the table games guests come to play. A lesson the glossier corners of hospitality still borrow from, whether or not a single chip ever changes hands. Palaces like these have endured as buildings first, and gaming floors second, which is precisely what the architects behind them would have wanted for them.
Please gamble responsibly (18+ UK) – check age restrictions before participating
