A casino, also known as a gaming hall or a gambling house, is an establishment where people can take part in various types of gambling. Casinos are most often combined with hotels, restaurants, retail shops, and other tourist attractions. They are also known for hosting live entertainment events such as stand-up comedy, concerts, and sports games.
From the glamorous casinos of Venice to the sprawling mega-resorts of Las Vegas, there are plenty of choices when it comes to finding a place to throw down some chips and test your luck. But which ones are the best? Our list of the 10 biggest casinos in the world includes some legendary venues and others that are simply breathtaking in scale.
Gambling in some form has been a part of human culture for millennia, with the first evidence dating back to 2300 BC in China. Dice first appeared around 500 AD, followed by card games in the 1400s and, in the modern sense of the word, casinos began to appear in the 1800s.
Casinos have become incredibly sophisticated, with their security divided between a physical force and a specialized surveillance department that uses video cameras to monitor the activity. This monitoring allows the casino to quickly spot any statistical deviation from expected results that might be signs of cheating.
But the modern casino is much more than just a collection of slot machines and table games; it’s an indoor amusement park for adults, with billions of dollars worth of profits raked in each year from the likes of slots, black jack, roulette, craps and keno.