World's Top Land-Based Casinos

Cool, so you've been playing your favourite casino games over the Internet and now you're all fired-up about actually visiting one of the famous land-based casinos located in various parts of the world. The question now is: Which gaming hotspot should you head for? An excellent question indeed.


Considering the fact that there are more and more land-based casinos cropping all over the planet, a rambling gambling enthusiast like yourself has that many more options to choose from, fortunately or unfortunately. This is not always a good thing, as you probably already know; With so many choices, it's easy to worry that you may select the wrong gambling destination. But worry no more; our extremely well-traveled editorial team has already done the legwork for you.


Following is a list of the most popular land-based casinos, along with brief descriptions describing how they are each unique and what you can expect to find at each one in terms of gambling venues and other entertainment. We've also included a few descriptions about Indian casinos, casino cruises, and riverboats. Enjoy.

 

Las Vegas
Clearly the most famous of them all, Las Vegas (also known as ‘The Entertainment Capital of the World' and ‘Sin City'), was established in 1905 and is located in the US State of Nevada. The city's 7.2 km (4.5 mile) Las Vegas Strip promises an endless variety of mega-casino resorts including the famous Harrah's, Luxor Hotel and Casino and the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino. Over the years, Vegas has reinvented and has become a leading family vacation destination with attractions for the entire family.

Atlantic City
Atlantic City is located in the US State of New Jersey and is best known for its gambling casinos and boardwalk. The city recently underwent a major facelift over the last decade in order to attract more tourists. Today Atlantic City is home to many of the world's most famous land-based casinos including: Bally's, Trump Taj Mahal, Caesars, Harrah's, and many more. Along with casinos, Atlantic City also offers world class entertainment, a vibrant nightlife, fine dining, golf, and plenty of exciting activities.

Monte Carlo
Located in the Principality of Monaco along the French Riviera, Monte Carlo is best known for its European glamour and regular sightings of the rich and famous. Of the city's many tourist attractions, the most famous of all is the casino complex, which commenced regulated gambling back in 1898 under the private ownership of a company, in which the government still maintains a majority interest. The same corporation owns Monte Carlo's major hotels. Of all the popular land-based casinos around the world, Monte Carlo still ranks as perhaps the classiest. Monaco's citizens are exempt from paying taxes. However, they are prohibited from entering the gambling rooms. Monte Carlo is also renowned for the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix car race.

Macau
Macau (or Macao), is one of two Special Administrative Regions (SAR) of the People's Republic of China (PRC); the other being Hong Kong. Macau's economy is heavily dependent on tourism, much of it focused on legalised gambling, which began in 1850. By the early 1960's, gambling generated 50% of Macau's total revenue. In 2004, the opening of the Sands Macau marked the unveiling of the world's biggest land-based casino. In 2006, the Wynn Macau also opened its doors. In the same year, and for the first time in history, Macau's gambling industry generated more income that Las Vegas, thus making Macau the highest earning gambling destination in the world.

Hong Kong
Gambling is illegal in Hong Kong except for horse racing, sports betting and lottery, which are all under the management of the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC). Horse racing ranks as Hong Kong's most popular spectator sport. The Jockey Club also controls the Mark Six lottery plus offers wagering on football matches played outside Hong Kong. The Jockey Club is a unique non-profit business model whose profits are donated to numerous charities. The Club is also among Hong Kong's largest employers with 4,400 full-time plus 20,000 part-time workers.

Indian Casinos
Indian land-based casinos are, simply put, gambling venues operated legally on Native Indian reservations throughout both the United States and Canada. These particular jurisdictions enjoy limited sovereignty and consequently may operate beyond state/provincial parameters. Today there are approximately 387 tribal facilities located in 28 US states. Canada is host to 15 Indian casinos located in four of the country's 10 provinces (New Brunswick, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba).

Cruise Ships
Beyond Las Vegas or Atlantic City, cruise ships were once one of the very few (legal) alternatives Americans had if they wanted to gamble in the United States. Today's casino cruise industry is estimated to be worth more than $15.3 billion annually. While casino cruises are extremely popular throughout the world, the best ones are found in the United States and United Kingdom. The range of casino cruises includes ocean and river cruises, budget and luxury cruises, day/night cruises, etc. Like regular land-based casinos, most gambling cruises are luxuriously designed, although they provide dining and beverages at regular prices in order to attract more players on board so that they will gamble. The more popular casino liners in Europe include the British, Russian and Norwegian ships.

River Boat Gambling
Riverboat gambling began in 19th Century America and experienced a surge in popularity towards the end of the 20th Century as states sought out new sources of revenue. The demise of riverboat gambling is mainly attributed to the emergence of the railway as a superior mode of transportation (trains were and still are faster than riverboats). The outbreak of the American Civil War also disrupted nearly all river travel and - in turn - the riverboat gambling industry. Today, many of these casino riverboats are merely motionless barges that never leave their piers. The types of gambling permitted on riverboats vary according to the different jurisdictions. The games usually played are those traditional favourites played at land-based casinos, such as blackjack, roulette, craps, and slots etc.

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