Casino is a gambling establishment that offers gamblers the opportunity to place wagers on various games of chance and in some cases skill. It also offers a variety of restaurants, entertainment, and shopping opportunities. It is estimated that casinos around the world generate billions of dollars annually. Some of them are known as landmarks, such as the Monte Carlo Casino in Monaco or the Kurhaus in Baden-Baden. They are also often featured in books and films, such as Ben Mezrich’s Busting Vegas or the 2001 film Ocean’s Eleven.
There is a lot of competition between casinos to attract players and show off their facilities. That means bigger buffets, bigger hotels, and bigger gambling spaces. Some of the biggest casinos in the world are true behemoths, sprawling complexes of entertainment that could rival a small town.
Some are designed to be particularly dazzling. For instance, among the glittering cityscape of Macau (east Asia’s version of Las Vegas), the Hotel Lisboa stands out for being one of the city’s tallest buildings – and it looks even more spectacular at night, when it’s encased in a million LED lights. The interior lives up to its surface decadence, with 800 gaming tables and 1,000 slot machines spread across several large and elaborately decorated floors. Other casinos are more elegantly outfitted, such as the Casino Baden-Baden in the spa town of the same name in Germany. This is where Marlene Dietrich and other glamorous figures played over 150 years ago, and the casino still draws wealthy Europeans to its elegant poker rooms and blackjack and roulette tables.