January feels like a long month, doesn’t it? Certainly, for us here at Luxury Lifestyle Magazine, we’re approaching that life-affirming moment – the first payday of the year. What better time to cast your eye towards the next exciting adventure?
If you’ve got a penchant for the adrenalin-filled experience of casinos, you may be considering putting your deposit down on the high-roller holiday of a lifetime. Looking for ideas? Look no further than this list; but before you do, you might want to consider sharpening up with some practice from the comfort of your own home before you hop on the plane. There are plenty of places to hone your craft, like the 21.co.uk online casino.
5 – Foxwoods Casino Resort – Connecticut, USA
The Foxwoods Casino Resort was built after a hotly-contested political dispute between the American-Indian Mashantucket tribe and the state of Connecticut. When the Mashantucket tribe re-inherited their land from the state, they also received the go-ahead to build their casino resort on their reserve in Ledyard, and the reparations to fund it. They have been reaping the benefits ever-since.
If the origin story isn’t enough to entice you to visit a casino on the road less-travelled, then perhaps Foxwoods’ two hotel towers, arcades, shopping outlets, six casinos and 9,000,000 square-feet resort will.
4 – The Bellagio, Las Vegas, USA
It wouldn’t be a ‘world’s-best casinos’ list without something from Vegas making the cut. While competition is stiff in the Strip, The Bellagio has been a Las Vegas icon since its grand opening in 1998, costing the princely sum of $1.6bn to build. When you factor in inflation costs, The Bellagio would’ve cost almost double that to develop in the current era.
Like all casinos on this list, the gaming facilities at The Bellagio are plentiful and it caters to both the casual and serious players. In fact, many professional poker players choose to use the casino as their base, colloquially referring to it as ‘the office’, due to relaxed regulation on table-limits and frequency of high-roller games.
3 – The Venetian, Macau
Referred to as the biggest casino in the world, The Venetian had an eye-watering $2.4bn build budget, and ranks as the seventh-biggest building in the world (by footprint, not necessarily by capacity).
The Venetian was built as the gambling boom in Macau really began to take off, and is now among the world’s best-known casino resorts. With views from 39 storeys and an architectural design inspired by the Italian city it takes its name from, The Venetian is a testament to the power of dreams (and deep pockets).
The complex, opened to the public in 2007, boasts an incredible 3000 suites, over one million square-feet of convention space, over 6000 gaming slots and a 15,000 capacity sporting and entertainment arena.
The casino offers an exclusive membership, known as the Paiza club, which has its own private entrance, facilities and preferential rates for the hotel’s more premium accommodation arrangements.
2 – Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
This casino, also owned by the Las Vegas Sands corporation, holds an iconic position on the wealthy island of Singapore – dominating the skyline on the world-renowned Marina Bay. A true destination for the world’s most affluent and eligible, Marina Bay is the jewel in Singapore’s resorts crown. While fundamentally a hotel casino resort, Marina Bay Sands also holds a prominent cultural position in the South-East Asia region and is a key player in huge global tourism events like the Singaporean annual Formula One night race.
The resort, which includes a boutique shopping mall, and an interchange for the island’s major underground rail network, cost $8bn to build and opened in 2010. Its estimated value for the region in terms of tourism means that outlay has almost certainly been doubled in revenue. The casino itself holds over 1000 gaming tables and 1400 slot machines.
1 – Grand Lisboa, Macau
Dominating the skyline in the world’s hottest gambling destination, the Grand Lisboa takes our coveted number one spot. While there are perhaps better-known casinos in the western world, Macau is where the highest-rollers are headed these days, and the Grand Lisboa, as Macau’s tallest building, serves as a modern-day mecca for for gamblers.
The Grand Lisboa was the first casino in the region to offer many gambling classics, including Texas Hold ‘Em poker and craps. The casino has over 800 gaming tables, and over a thousand slots, but it really tops our list for its willingness to take risks – with its golden lotus flower design and its decision to offer western games before they were popular in the region.
After all, isn’t taking risks what gambling is all about?
Please gamble responsibly (18+ UK) – check age restrictions before participating
