Whether you’re looking for a quick hit of blackjack or to flex your poker muscles, there’s a casino to satisfy your gambling cravings. But these mega-resorts are more than just gaming dens, with five-star hotel accommodations, Michelin-starred restaurants and designer shops to lure the upscale crowd. They also feature top-billed entertainment shows, ranging from high-flying circus acts to the latest musician concerts topping Billboard charts.
Some casinos even have catwalks extending from the ceiling above the casino floor, which allow surveillance personnel to look directly down, through one-way glass, on what’s happening at the tables and slot machines. Others have a theater-style setting, with a stage and a huge screen where performers entertain patrons while they gamble.
Casinos have a long history of pulling in the elite, from royalties and European aristocracy to spies and wartime adventurers. The Belle Epoque Casino de Monte-Carlo holds a legendary status in the Mediterranean city and has been home to high rollers and celebrity performers alike. The Mauro Codussi-designed building originally served as a theatre and later as a casino, with a casino operating during performance intermissions.
While Las Vegas is often credited with being the gambling capital of America, the biggest casino in the US is actually in Oklahoma. Foxwoods Resort & Casino, owned by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, features an enormous resort with 38 restaurants and two golf courses but is best known for its massive casino, which has 380 gaming tables and 6,300 slot machines.