5 Best Casinos in the World

The first known casino was called a gambling house and it was established in Venice, Italy in 1638, while the first gambling establishments in America were known as saloons. Regardless of their name, these establishments were important as they allowed travelers to indulge in a conversation with likely-minded individuals, share a drink and gamble. As gambling became more popular, so did the gambling establishments that grew in size correspondingly.

In modern day and time, those establishments are simply known as casinos. However, live casinos are all but simple. Modern-day casinos include some of the most extravagant hotel resorts while other even host sporting events, concerts or stand-up comedy events. They also often come together with restaurants or retail shops to guarantee their guests a variety of options. So, with all said and done, what exactly are some of the best casinos in the world?

The Venetian - Macau, China
The Venetian Macao is one of the most prestigious casino and hotel resorts in the world. It is located in Macau and it is owned by Las Vegas Sands, which is an American company. This casino hotel was opened in July 2007 and has 39 stories. It is modeled after its sister casino bearing the same name that can be found in Las Vegas. The hotel covers 10,500,000 square feet of space. Not only is it the largest hotel in the world, but it is also the seventh-largest building in the whole world by the floor area. The casino is divided into different themed rooms and has more than 6,000 slot machines and 800 tables.

Bellagio — Las Vegas, United States
Bellagio is a luxurious casino hotel on the famous Las Vegas Strip, Nevada. As elegant as its name, the resort is part of the MGM Resorts International. It was opened in 1998 and comes with 3000 rooms, while its newest addition, The Spa Tower, opened in 2004 and has 935 rooms. At the time of opening, Bellagio was the most expensive hotel ever built. When it comes to gaming, it boasts 116,000 square feet of gaming space. Bellagio is also famed for its poker rooms as many professional poker players prefer playing in its high-stakes rooms.

City of Dreams Casino — Macau, China
Owned and built by Melco Crown Entertainment, City of Dreams resort casino is the second biggest structure in Macau, just behind The Venetian. Its location is, ironically, directly opposite of The Venetian. City of Dreams officially opened in 2009 and its design consists of four towers: Crown Towers Hotel, Hard Rock Hotel and the Grand Hyatt Macau that has two towers. Its gaming area includes 420,000 square feet of gaming space that comes with 1514 machines and 450 gaming tables. As if that wasn't enough, the City of Dreams will expand even further as the fifth tower named Morpheus is set to be built.

Rio Casino Resort — Klerksdorp, South Africa
Not every biggest casino is located in the Eastern hemisphere, and Rio Casino Resort is the perfect testament to that. As a matter of fact, it is one of the biggest casinos in the Southern hemisphere and largest on the African continent. It opened in 2002 as Tusk Rio Casino Resort only to be renamed to Rio Casino Resort in 2006 after being acquired by Peermont Global. It has 266,330 square feet of gaming space and has 70 rooms.

MGM Grand — Las Vegas, United States
MGM Grand is another Las Vegas Strip hotel resort operated by MGM Resorts International. At the time of its opening in 1993, it was the biggest largest hotel complex in the world. It includes almost 7000 rooms and is currently the third-largest hotel complex in the world. The property went through many changes over the course of years that made it into the gorgeous establishment it is today. The hotel's property includes rivers, outdoor pools, and even waterfalls. It boasts its huge casino that occupies 171,500 square feet of space. The main building is 30 floors tall and almost 300 feet high. The pedestrian bridges link MGM Grand to its neighboring casinos Tropicana and New York-New York.

Conclusion
Luxury and elegance are only some of the words that can be used to describe modern-day casino hotel resorts. They are much more than just establishments centered around gambling. Each one of them has a unique design and features making them worth a visit, even if you are not a fan of any of the casino games.