It’s hard to imagine a time in our history where casinos haven’t been around.
Before the time of the internet where you’d find online casino Sky Vegas and other providers, and before the Vegas strip ever existed, casinos weren’t around. There was no place dedicated to gambling, games and everything else we associate with a casino establishment.
With this being said, we thought we’d introduce you to the top five oldest casinos in the world. Some you may know and others you may not, yet they’re all, surprisingly, still welcome players through their doors.
Scroll to find out more about the five oldest casino establishments in the world.
Casino di Venezia, Italy
With its renaissance style architecture, built in 1638, the Casino di Venezia is located along the Grand Canal in Venice and can be reached by water taxi or gondola. The casino was previously known as Ca’ Vendramin Calergi and was the place many of Europe’s elite would use as a home from home.
It wasn’t until 1946 that the city of Venice bought the land before renovating and reopening the casino a decade later.
Casino de Spa, Belgium
Originally built and opened in 1763, the casino de Spa was destroyed in the First World War, with the majority of the external walls damaged beyond repair. The venue was rebuilt in 1918, before enduring a complete reconstruction in the 1980s.
Kurhaus Casino of Baden-Baden, Germany
Located on the outskirts of the Black Forest, near the border where Germany meets France, the Kurhaus Casino was first designed in the mid-1820s and saw its popularity rise in the 1830s, due to the French ban on gambling.
With the ban in France, the casino saw players crossing the boarder in search of somewhere to spin the iconic Roulette wheel and try their luck at beating the deal to 21 with a game of Blackjack.
Casino de Monte Carlo, Monaco
Arguably one of the most famous of the five casinos – mainly due to its use as backdrops and storylines for many television shows and films – the Monte Carlo casino first opened its doors in 1856. This was after Princess Caroline of the House Grimaldi supposedly came up with the idea in order to avoid bankruptcy.
An interesting fact about Casino de Monte Carlo is where you find it today, since it isn’t the location of the originally opened Casino de Monte Carlo. In 1863, less than ten years after its opening night, the casino establishment moved grounds to where it remains now.
The casino was also one of the very first establishments of its kind to offer live entertainment and fine dining under one roof. Now, the likes of this are a common find within casino establishments.
The Golden Gate Casino, Las Vegas
Opening in 1906, The Golden Gate Casino in Las Vegas was originally called the Hotel Nevada – but this isn’t the only name change the establishment has had within its lifetime, but we’ll get to this in a second.
Shortly after Hotel Nevada opened, in 1909, gambling was outlawed, which limited the casino with what it could offer its players – they got away with small stake games and non-cash tournaments.
Thankfully, in 1931 gambling laws changed, allowing the casino to offer more to players. To mark the change, Hotel Nevada renamed itself to Sal Sagev Casino – Las Vegas backwards – but the name didn’t stick and was renamed once again to The Golden Gate Casino in 1955.
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Now you know where the five oldest casinos in the world are, will you be visiting them in person on your next trip aboard?