10 World’s Most Extravagant Casino Resorts
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The Venetian Macao, China
From the mid-16th century to 1999, when it was transferred back to China, Macau was a Portuguese colony. Today, it’s known as the “Monte Carlo of the Orient,” home to many of the world’s largest casinos, including The Venetian Macau, the biggest casino on earth and the sixth largest structure in the world. The complex cost $2.4 billion to construct, including a sports events hall and an incredible 550,000-square-foot gambling area. Impressive inside and out, it features the same quasi-Venetian style as its sister resort in Las Vegas it was modeled after, including replicas of the lagoon city’s canals. There are 3,000 luxurious, all-suite guest rooms, more than 30 restaurants featuring cuisine from around the world, a play zone, garden swimming pools and extensive recreational facilities, along with 3,000 slots and 750 table games, with total floor space of nearly 10.8 million square feet.
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The Wynn Macau, China
This massive property built by U.S. casino magnate Steve Wynn located on Macau’s waterfront, is modeled after his curved tower in Las Vegas. It boasts over 100,000 square feet of gaming space with more than 500 table games and 840 slot machines along with more than 1,000 ultra-luxurious rooms. If you’re into shopping, you’ll find more than enough to keep you busy with its 54,000 square-foot shopping complex featuring some of the most expensive labels on the market, including Giorgio Armani, Ferrari, Christian Dior and Chanel. The Wynn Macau also includes six gourmet restaurants and a world-class spa facility. The resort consistently receives rave reviews from all who visit, with its reliable, exceptional overall experience. Rather than relying on flashy advertisements, it mostly promotes via word-of-mouth.
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Caesar’s Palace, Las Vegas
Caesar’s is one of Vegas’ trademark names, opened nearly a half-century ago, becoming a luxury icon, surviving scandals, recessions and more. Its luxurious rooms and 166,000 square feet of gaming space have defined excess on The Strip. The massive spa features Roman baths, while elaborate mosaics and classical architecture surround the pools. All of its buildings and interiors follow a style that imitates Ancient Rome, something that other Vegas venues have copied since its inception. Reigning at the heart of The Strip, it features 3,348 hotel guest rooms and suites, 25 unique restaurants and cafes, the 50,000-square-foot Qua Baths & Spa as well as the acclaimed Forum Shops with its more than 160 specialty retailers.
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Sun City Casino Resort, South Africa
This giant Las Vegas-like resort is located in the middle of the bush, about two hours from Johannesburg in South Africa’s North West province. It opened in 1979, in what was then known as the state of Bophuthatswana, one of the apartheid government’s designated areas for the black majority population where the nation’s laws did not apply equally, allowing both gambling and topless revenue shows. Sun City quickly became a popular destination for high rollers and all types of gamblers. Today, it ranks as one of the top casino resorts in the world, featuring four hotels, over 850 slot machines and nearly 40 gaming tables for blackjack, American roulette, stud poker and Punto Baccarat. Guests can even go on safari with the resort offering its very own private game reserve.
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The Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas
When it opened in 2005, The Wynn Las Vegas was the most expensive hotel-casino ever built, at a cost of $2.7 billion to construct. The more than 2,700 suites came at an average cost of $1 million each. At the time, Richard Branson noted, “There is nobody in the world who creates such entertaining and beautiful casinos…I would say every other casino must be nervous. He’s lifted the bar dramatically.”
Although that record was broken in 2010 with the $5.5 billion construction of the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, it remains one of the true stars of casino resorts around the world. The Wynn sits across 217 acres with its resort showcasing an 111,000-square-foot casino as well as 19 distinctive dining experiences, nearly 75,000 square feet of retail space, an exclusive onsite 18-hole championship golf course, state-of-the-art recreational facilities and more.
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The Grand Lisboa, Macau, China
Among the glittering cityscape of Macau, The Grand Lisboa, designed to look and feel like a bird cage, stands out as one of the city’s most defining landmarks. The hotel/casino is Macau’s tallest building, crowned with the largest LED dome on the planet, made up of more than a million LED lights. The inside lives up to the dazzling exterior with 1,000 slots and 800 gaming tables spread across expansive and elaborately decorated floors. It caters to wealthy tourists and gamblers, recently hiring one of the world’s most famous chefs in addition to offering an extensive selection of nearly 15,000 wines, becoming the first establishment in China to receive the “Grand Award” honor by Wine Spectator magazine.
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The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, Las Vegas
Like its sister resort in Macau, The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Vegas, allows guests to experience the romance of Italy, including the chance to ride an authentic Venetian gondola, floating beneath bridges and balconies through the “Grand Canal.” Every detail was designed to provide the ultimate stay, including everything from the world’s largest standard suites to one of the most elegant casinos. It’s part of the largest five-diamond hotel and resort complex in the world, with 4,049 suites and 4,059 hotel rooms in addition to the 120,000 square-foot casino and one of the best hotel spas on earth. Guests can choose from 19 different restaurants, featuring six James Beard Award-winning chefs like Emeril Lagasse and Wolfgang Puck, as well as shop at 80 international boutiques.
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City of Dreams, Macau, China
This property, often referred to as CoD, opened in 2009 at a cost of $2.1 billion. It features 420,000 square feet of gambling space, including 550 gaming tables and 1,500 slots, making it another one of the most ginormous casinos in the world. The City of Dreams also features more than 20 restaurants, including Michelin-starred Chinese Restaurant, Jade Dragon, showcasing culinary masterpieces by Chef Tam Kwok Fung. The resort’s impressive water show, House of Dancing Water, includes 80 performers from across the globe in a special round theater with a pool that holds 3.7 million gallons of water.
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Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Connecticut
Surprisingly, Las Vegas isn’t home to America’s biggest casino. That honor goes to Ledyard, Connecticut’s Foxwoods Resort Casino, operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Indian tribe. Opened in 1968, it features 4.7 million square feet of gaming space across six casinos, with more than 7,000 gaming machines and 17 different types of table games as well as one of the world’s largest bingo halls. It also offers a two-story arcade for families with children.
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MGM Grand Casino, Las Vegas
In addition to being located in one of the largest hotels in the world, the MGM Grand Casino has one of the largest gaming floors in the city at 171,500 square feet. It features 139 gaming tables and 2,500 slot machines with payouts of as much as a half million dollars. At Skylofts, a luxury hotel at the top of the MGM Grand, you’ll find a private sanctuary tucked within the clouds. Guests enjoy luxuriating in a bath that fizzes with tiny champagne-like massage bubbles, TVs in the mirrors and even airport pickup in a $400,000 car. Remotes operate everything from the TV and DVD player to the lights, temperature and drapes. You’ll also have your own 24-hour butler to unpack and pack your suitcases, if you wish.
By Trips to Discover
