The World’s Top 10 Largest Casinos

The gambling industry took a big hit and has certainly lost a lot of business because of the recent economic situation affecting almost the entire world. The largest of the casinos have survived the troubling waters, and as the economic crisis curve slowly slopes downwards, the gambling corporations, and their gigantic casinos are now back in business and competing with each other.

This list compiles information about the top 10 largest casinos in the world. Surprisingly, most of them are not located in Las Vegas; they are located in Macao, China.

1. The Venetian Macao (Macau, China)

Square feet: 546,000
Table and poker games: 870
Gaming machines: 3,000
Hotel rooms: 3,000
Restaurants and bars: 24
Web site: venetianmacao.com

The Venetian is a luxury casino resort and is over 546,000 sq. ft. on Macau’s Coastal Strip. Owned by Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands (LVS), this casino has an 870-table gaming floor, 3,000 gaming machines, 3 huge shopping areas, 4 pools, gondola rides, 24 world-class restaurants and bars along with 3,000 hotel rooms. A gamblers haven!

It is well known because it is the flagship casino resort on Macau’s bustling Cotai Strip. Based on its sister property in Las Vegas, the Venetian Macao is – as the name suggests – themed on the romantic streets and canals of Venice and is very family oriented. Naturally some of the romance is lost through the 3000 plus slot machines constantly flashing at you.

2. City of Dreams Casino (Macau, China)

Square feet: 420,000
Gaming machines: 1,350
Table and poker games: 520
Hotel rooms: 1,400
Restaurant and Bars: 14
Website: cityofdreamsmacau.com

In contrast to their arch rival, the family oriented Venetian, City of Dreams is more romantic and couple oriented. Clearly marketed for singles and young couples, the mega resort is a motley mix of brash furnishings and bold contemporary design, like being on an MTV set. Every part of its property gives you a piece of action, from the bustling boutique driven Boulevard to the frantic lobby of the Hard Rock, from the packed foyer of the Dancing Water theatre to the scrum of humanity awaiting a glimpse of a mermaid at the Vquarium. The casino is truly one of a kind and a must see when in China.

If you are staying at Venetian, peak into City of Dreams because it is located right beside the Venetian Macao and the soon to opened Sands Cotai. The Wynn Cotai is scheduled to be built right behind it as well.

Without a doubt the loudest casino in Macau belongs to the City of Dreams, and I’m not talking about the background music. I’m talking about the sensory overload that hits you full force from the frenetic flashing floor. It’s not so much that the place is packed with people, but that it’s packed with lights, lights and more lights and a slew of decoration so abstract I don’t even know what half the stuff is supposed to be.

3. Foxwoods Resorts Casino (Ledyard, Connecticut)

Square feet: 340,000
Gaming machines: 7,000
Table and poker games: 400
Restaurants and bars: 29
Hotel rooms: 824
Web site: foxwoods.com

Foxwoods Resort Casino is a hotel-casino in Ledyard, Connecticut situated on the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Reservation. Together with the MGM Grand at Foxwoods, the resort covers an area of 4,700,000 sq ft (440,000 m²). The casino hasover 380 gaming tables for blackjack, craps, roulette, and poker and has over 6,300 slot machines. There are countless restaurants within the casino, among them, is the popular franchise Hard Rock Cafe. Foxwoods has 2,266 hotel rooms and a two-story arcade for children.

4. Casino Porte (Macau, China)

Square feet: 270,000
Gaming machines: 320
Table and poker games: 150
Restaurants and bars: 3
Hotel rooms: 423
Web site: ponte16.com.mo

Ponte 16’s architectural design draws inspiration from Macau’s unique East-West cultural pluralism, with a European/Portuguese design infused with traditional Chinese elements. The resort is significant as it is the only hotel to be situated in the inner harbor and is a part of the “The Historic Centre of Macao” – UNESCO World Heritage site.. Check it out!

5. Tusk Rio Casino Resort (Klerksdorp, South Africa)

Square feet: 266,330
Gaming machines: 257
Table and poker games: 12
Restaurants and bars: 2
Web site: riocasino.co.za

The Tusk Rio Casino Resort was developed as a model after the exotic Rio Carnival in Brazil and is located in Klerksdorp, South Africa. The Tusk Rio casino offers all the excitement that a first class casino resort provides. The casino offers both smoking and non-smoking floors for gambling with slots  – available for many denominations. The Tusk Rio Casino also provides casino table games as well. Progressive blackjack and poker tables are innumerably available as well as as all exclusive salon prive.

The casino staff at the Tusk Rio Casino will help you enjoy your gambling experience. The Tusk Rio Casino is the casino for fun and exciting gaming.

6. MGM Grand Macau (Macau, China)

A 35-story, 600-room casino resort in Macau – officially opened on 18 December 2007.

Square feet: 221,952
Gaming machines: 835
Table and poker games: 410
Restaurants and bars: 12
Hotel rooms: 593
Web site: mgmgrandmacau.com

MGM Macau is a 35-story hotel tower with 600 beautifully appointed rooms, suites and villas, a grand casino and private gaming salons for preferred customers. A convertible convention area with 14,455-square-feet of meeting space, world-class spa, swimming pool facilities and a variety of restaurants catering to international tastes and influences.

Another $2.5 billion Macau casino is planned by MGM China, the Chinese arm of U.S. gambling giant MGM Resorts International and has received government approval in January of 2012, sending shares of MGM China to an 18-month high.

7. Sands Macao (Macau, China)

Square feet: 229,000
Gaming machines: 750
Table and poker games: 1,000
Restaurants and bars: 7
Hotel rooms: 51
Web site: www.sands.com.mo

Before Sheldon Adelson opened the grandest Venetian hotel and casino on the Cotai Strip, Las Vegas Sands made its first foray into China’s gambling hub with the Sands Macao. The hotel, located in peninsular Macau, was designed by the Paul Steelman Design Group and opened its doors for the very first time in 2004. Today it is a destination for thousands of tourists, mainly from mainland China and Hong Kong.

8. MGM Grand Las Vegas (Las Vegas, USA)

MGM Grand a hotel casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada. It is also the the largest hotel resort complex in the United States, ahead of The Venetian. When it opened in 1993, the MGM Grand was the largest hotel in the world. Now it’s the 8th largest.

Square Feet: 170,000
Gaming machines: 2,300
Table and Poker Games: 20
Hotel Rooms: 5,044
Website: mgmgrand.com

There is no chance taking chance with luxury at MGM Grand, which dominates the northeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue (the busiest intersection on the Strip. In fact, this iconic resort and casino is in the process of getting a glamorous makeover. All of the rooms have been perfectly redesigned and several of the property’s entertainment, dining and nightlife experiences are being remade.

Today, as in the past, guests can always count on the first rate service and entertainment at the resort. First and foremost, the MGM Grand is an entertainment destination. Its 16,000-seat Grand Garden Arena hosts concerts by the world’s top artists, championship boxing matches, award shows and so much more. Magician David Copperfield is a regular headliner in the more intimate Hollywood Theatre — and he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

MGM Grand is also home to the Cirque du Soleil production.  This show is a must see and is a major attraction for all tourists who visit. It’s comprised of acrobatic feats and often compared to a martial arts movie — just in theatre format.

MGM Grand is a must see and something I recommend to go to when in Las Vegas.

9. Casino Lisboa (Lisbon, Portugal)

Square feet: 165,000
Gaming machines: 1,000
Table and poker games: 26
Restaurants and bars: 7
Hotel rooms: 1,000
Web site: casino-lisboa.pt

The casino is situated in Lisbon’s Park Of The Nations and is a major landmark in Portugal’s capital city and the largest casino in Europe. The Lisboa, which opened to the public in 2006, is owned by Estoril-Sol, whose major stakeholder is Hong Kong-based gambling mogul Stanley Ho, who also operates a Lisboa in Macao.

The casino was plagued by controversy since it the idea was conceived in 2001-2002 by Pedro Santana Lopes, the Lisbon Mayor. The casino was conceived as a way to fund the rebuilding of Parque Mayer, Lisbon’s decadent theater district. The fact that it was to be the first casino in the country inside a major urban center (instead of a tourist area) stirred up many critics claiming the casino would create gambling issues, as it would facilitate access of a younger population to games of chance by bringing the games closer to the people.

Square feet: 161,000
Gaming machines: 4,100
Table and poker games: 285
Restaurants and bars: 17
Hotel rooms: 2,002
Web site: theborgata.com

It is often referred to as the “little village”—as its name means in Italian—but the Borgata is anything but little. The $1.1 billion hotel, casino, and spa is the largest resort in Atlantic City. This 10th largest gambling center first opened in 2003 and is owned by Marina District Development Corp., a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming, which operates casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas and Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

The Borgata was part of a project in Atlantic City called the “The Tunnel Project”, which started around 1999. When Steve Wynn had planned the new Mirage Resort in Atlantic City, he wanted to connect a $330 million 2.5-mile (4.0 km) tunnel from the Atlantic City Expressway to the new resort, later named the Atlantic City-Brigantine Connector, which would funnel incoming traffic off the Atlantic City Expressway into the city’s marina district.

The 161,000 square feet (15,000 m²) casino  has over slot machines and 200 table games. Borgata’s poker program features daily tournaments and high-stake tournaments in partnership with the World Poker Tour.