The most decadent casinos in the world are decked out with opulent furnishings and overflowing bars. These palaces of temptation offer gamblers a chance to roll the dice, spin the wheel and try their hand at blackjack and roulette.
Gambling is a popular pastime for many, and the casino industry is booming worldwide. Guests can enjoy five-star hotel rooms, Michelin star restaurants and designer shops. They can also watch high-flying circus acts and top-billed music concerts. However, not all gambling resorts are created equal, with some aiming to be the biggest in their region or even the world.
From the glitz of Las Vegas to the refined luxury of Baden-Baden, here are 10 of the best places in the world to throw down your chips and hope for some luck.
The elegant spa town of Baden-Baden first became a playground for European royalty and aristocracy 150 years ago, but these days it attracts a more diverse clientele. The town’s fabled casino is one of the most decadent on this list. Its baroque flourishes recall Versailles, and its red-and-gold poker rooms and plethora of roulette and blackjack tables attract discerning players.
This massive casino boasts more than 1,000 slots and a two-tier casino with 26 table games. It also has a contemporary art gallery, three restaurants and a three-ring rotating stage for live performances. Guests can also enjoy the spa and numerous luxury hotel rooms, with some offering breathtaking views of the mountains that surround the resort.
Despite the fact that the house always wins, many people still find themselves drawn to casinos and their glitzy decor. What most people don’t realize is that every detail is carefully designed to keep people playing and craving more — no matter how much money they lose. From the scented air to the joyful sound of slot machines, here are some of the tricks casinos use to lure visitors and keep them gambling the night away.
Casinos have long been a staple of modern society, but their origins go back millennia. Archaeologists have discovered dice and playing cards in China dating from 2300 BC, while baccarat first appeared in Europe around 1500 AD. Today, the game has spread to all corners of the globe, with casinos making up 50 percent of Macau’s economy.
To ensure that they can maximize profits, casinos collect data on the odds of various games and analyze it to determine their house edge. This information is essential for calculating the profit they can expect to make and how much cash they will need in reserve to cover losses. Mathematicians and computer programmers who specialize in gambling analysis are known as gaming mathematicians. These experts are employed by casinos to calculate the house edge and variance for each game. Using these figures, they can then adjust the machines to make sure that the house does not exceed certain percentages. This way, they can increase the amount of money that their guests win and lower their risk of losing a large sum of money.