The economic crisis is taking its toll on the casino and entertainment industry, as the world’s biggest casinos have for the last year struggled to keep their gaming machines and tables humming. Macao, the former Portuguese colony on the south China coast, has felt the impact of the slowdown but now the Chinese economy is reviving, providing hope to owners of the world’s two biggest gambling palaces, the Venetian Macao and the brand-new City of Dreams. While those resorts get most of the attention, Macao is now home to five of the world’s 10 largest casinos. Tops in the U.S. is Foxwoods, in Connecticut. Here is a list of 20 biggest Casinos of the world.
20. Gold Coast Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas
Square feet: 86,600
Gaming machines: 2,100
Table and poker games: 59
Restaurants and bars: 9
Hotel rooms: 711
Web site: goldcoastcasino.com
Located one mile west of the Las Vegas Strip, this casino is owned and operated by Boyd Gaming, which also operates the Borgata in Atlantic City, among many other casinos. The Gold Coast was built in 1986 and had a major upgrade in 2002 that added more restaurants, gaming machines and tables, and parking spots.
19. Trump Plaza Hotel & Casino, Atlantic City
Square feet: 91,181Gaming machines: 2,137
Table and poker games: 105
Restaurants and bars: 12
Hotel rooms: 728
Web site: trumpplaza.com
This Trump-branded casino-hotel designed by architect Martin Stern opened in 1984, but The Donald lost
control of it in 2005 when it emerged from a second stint in Chapter 11. Trump and his daughter Ivanka are now trying to retake control of the Plaza and two other Atlantic City hotels, vowing to pour money into an effort to spiff them up.
18. Resorts Atlantic City, Atlantic City
Square feet: 100,000Gaming machines: 2,500
Table and poker games: 95
Restaurants and bars: 8
Hotel rooms: 942
Web site: resortsac.com
This casino and spa complex was the first to open in Atlantic City after New Jersey legalized casino gambling in 1978. However, Resorts has suffered from the economic downturn as well as from competition from Native American-owned casinos in the Northeast. In August, the hotel’s owner, Colony Capital, asked the state to approve the transfer of its stake to its lenders, including Credit Suisse (CS).
17. Wynn Macao, Macao, China
Square feet: 100,000Gaming machines: 1,270
Table and poker games: 390
Restaurants and bars: 6
Hotel rooms: 600
Web site: wynnmacau.com
Following the decision by the local government to end the longtime monopoly of local tycoon Stanley Ho, Steve Wynn was the first to open a Vegas-style resort in the Chinese city. His Wynn Macao, opened in 2006, features a sound-and-light show on a “Performance Lake” containing 800,000 gallons of water. Armani, Boss, and Chanel are among the designers with shops in the Wynn’s arcade.
16. Wynn Las Vegas, Las Vegas
Square feet: 110,000Gaming machines: 1,900
Table and poker games: 167
Restaurants and bars: 22
Hotel rooms: 2,716
Web site: wynnlasvegas.com
This $2.7 billion resort is the flagship property of billionaire Steve Wynn’s Wynn Resorts (WYNN). It features an 18-hole golf course (co-designed by Wynn himself) complete with a 37-foot waterfall next to the final hole. Wynn is in the midst of a divorce and he and his wife, Elaine, recently sold more than $200 million in company stock.
15. Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Paradise, Nev.
Square feet: 120,000Gaming machines: 1,245
Table and poker games: 104
Restaurants and bars: 18
Hotel rooms: 2,500
Web site: riolasvegas.com
Known as The Rio, this casino is located off the Las Vegas Strip in the unincorporated area of Paradise, Nev. It made a splash in 2008 by teaming up with a local gentlemen’s club to open what the Rio called a “European style” topless pool. Last month, however, the hotel announced it was suspending operation of the pool following a visit by local police.
14. The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, Las Vegas
Square feet: 120,000Gaming info: 3,086
Table and poker games: 309
Restaurants and bars: 18
Hotel rooms: 4,027
Web site: venetian.com
Can’t make it to Italy? The Venetian Resort-Hotel-Casino, owned by Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands, offers States-side tourists the chance to ride gondolas on a quarter-mile recreation of the city’s Grand Canal. The hotel boasts more than 4,000 suites, an 85,000-square-foot ballroom and 19 restaurants. It has a Madame Tussaud’s wax museum and its theater is the Vegas home of the Blue Man Group.
13. Starworld Hotel & Casino, Macao, China
Square feet: 140,000Gaming machines: 500
Table and poker games: 284
Restaurants and bars: 7
Hotel rooms: 507
Web site: starworldmacau.com/eng/starworld
It may not be one of the larger resorts in Macao, but the Starworld doesn’t disappoint. The resort provides dazzling decor and superior services for its guests, which in part made it win the 5-Star Diamond Award granted by the American Academy of Hospitality Sciences in 2008.
12. Caesars Atlantic City, Atlantic City
Square feet: 145,100Gaming machines: 3,027
Table and poker games: 163
Restaurants and bars: 11
Hotel rooms: 1,140
Web site: caesarsac.com
Caesars Atlantic City is the East Coast flagship of Harrah’s Entertainment, which acquired Caesars Entertainment, parent of famed Las Vegas casino-hotel Caesars Palace as well as Caesars Atlantic City, in 2005. Harrah’s now operates or manages casino resorts on four continents.
11. Bellagio, Las Vegas
Square feet: 155,000Gaming machines: 2,449
Table and poker games: 207
Restaurants and bars: 20
Hotel rooms: 3,933
Web site: bellagio.com
Located on the Las Vegas Strip and a member of the Leading Hotels of the World, the Bellagio is a luxury hotel and casino owned by MGM Mirage (MGM). Opened in 1995, the Bellagio is inspired by the Lake Como resort of the same name in Italy. In addition to its casino, it has more than 200,000 square feet of meeting and convention facilities.
10. Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa, Atlantic City
Square feet: 161,000Gaming machines: 4,100
Table and poker games: 285
Restaurants and bars: 17
Hotel rooms: 2,002
Web site: theborgata.com
It may be called “little village”—as its name means in Italian—but the Borgata is anything but small. The $1.1 billion hotel, casino, and spa is the largest resort in Atlantic City. This mammoth gambling center opened in 2003 and is owned by Marina District Development Corp., a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming (BYD), which operates casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas as well as Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
9. Casino Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
Square feet: 165,000Gaming machines: 1,000
Table and poker games: 26
Restaurants and bars: 7
Hotel rooms: 1,000
Web site: casino-lisboa.pt
Located at Lisbon’s Park Of The Nations, Casino Lisboa 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.
8. MGM Grand Las Vegas, Las Vegas
Square feet: 170,000Gaming machines: 2,300
Table and poker games: 178
Restaurants and bars: 20
Hotel rooms: 5,044
Web site: mgmgrand.com
This luxury hotel first opened in 1993 as a Hollywood themed resort and is one of the largest hotels in the world. Operated by publicly traded MGM Mirage (MGM), this 30-floor, 293-foot-high complex has five outdoor pools, rivers and waterfalls.
7. Sands Macao, Macao, China
Square feet: 229,000Gaming 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 his giant 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 Macao, was designed by the Paul Steelman Design Group and opened in 2004. Today it is a day-trip destination for thousands of visitors, mainly from mainland China and Hong Kong.
6. MGM Grand Macao, Macao, China
Square feet: 221,952Gaming machines: 835
Table and poker games: 410
Restaurants and bars: 12
Hotel rooms: 593
Web site: mgmgrandmacau.com
This 35-story casino resort officially opened in 2007 and is owned and operated as a joint venture between MGM Mirage and Pansy Ho Chiu-King, daughter of local casino mogul Stanley Ho. The resort, located near some of the elder Ho’s casinos on the Macao peninsula, plans further expansion, including a future Mandarin Oriental hotel.
5. Tusk Rio Casino Resort, Klerksdorp, South Africa
Square feet: 266,330Gaming machines: 257
Table and poker games: 12
Restaurants and bars: 2
Hotel rooms:
Web site: riocasino.co.za
The largest casino in the Southern Hemisphere, the Tusk Rio was inspired by the passion, vibe, and color of the Carnival in Brazil’s Rio de Janeiro. The casino is located a few hours by car from Johannesburg and is among the most popular casinos in South Africa.
4. Casino Ponte 16, Macao, China
Square feet: 270,000Gaming machines: 320
Table and poker games: 150
Restaurants and bars: 3
Hotel rooms: 423
Web site: ponte16.com.mo
The Ponte 16 is a world-class integrated casino and entertainment resort built along the Inner Harbor of Macao, in the older part of the city. Close to some of Macao’s traditional colonial buildings, the resort draws inspiration from the former Portuguese enclave’s unique East-West cultural pluralism.
3. Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard, Conn.
Square feet: 340,000Gaming machines: 7,000
Table and poker games: 400
Restaurants and bars: 29
Hotel rooms: 824
Web site: foxwoods.com
America’s biggest casino isn’t on the Las Vegas Strip or Atlantic City Boardwalk. Opened in 1986 in western Connecticut, Foxwoods is a complex of six casinos with 17 different types of table games, including 100 for poker. Managed by the Mashantucket Pequot Indian Tribe, Foxwoods benefits from its location within driving distance of New York and Boston. In addition to its casino, the resort has one of the world’s largest bingo halls.
2. City of Dreams Resort, Macao, China
Square feet: 420,000Gaming machines: 1,350
Table and poker games: 520
Restaurants and bars: 14
Hotel rooms: 1,400
Web site: cityofdreamsmacau.com
Recently opened City of Dreams is a $2.1 billion gamble by Melco Crown Entertainment’s Lawrence Ho and Australian billionaire James Packer. The resort, located across the street from the Venetian on the Cotai Strip, faces tough odds as Macao gaming revenues have been hit hard by the global economic crisis.
1. The Venetian Macao, Macao, China
Square feet: 546,000Gaming machines: 3,000
Table and poker games: 870
Restaurants and bars: 24
Hotel rooms: 3,000
Web site: venetianmacao.com
The Venetian Macao-Resort-Hotel has become one of the biggest landmarks for gamblers throughout Asia. Controlled by Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands (LVS), the Venetian was the first giant casino to open on Macao’s Cotai Strip, an area of reclaimed land offshore from downtown Macao. A stroll around the resort gives you a glance of luxury—and a somewhat weird combination of facilities, attractions, and amenities such as Cirque du Soleil’s Zaia show.
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