Everyone knows about the Las Vegas Strip.
Everyone knows about the Hong Kong gaming fleet.
But there are a lot of casinos around the world you've probably never heard of -- and many of them belong to ," says the author of The Immortal Irishman, Washington's Crossing, and Alexander the Great.
In this video, Cavallo -- a former marine and senior director at Gulfstream Park Racing and Casino in Hallandale Beach, Florida -- explains how these casinos came to be.
Click play to watch:
The Biggest Casinos, Ranked
- 10. Casinò di Campione, Italy
Campione d'Italia was established in 1917 as a private gambling venue owned and operated by the Italian government.
Located near the Swiss border, it became enormously popular with both Italians and Swiss -- until, in 1948, the Swiss voted to ban gambling.
Today Casinò di Campione remains open only to handpicked guests -- including, reportedly, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr., who were once asked to leave the nearby Casino di Saint-Vincent.
The casino features 535,000 square feet of gaming space. Its slot machines are provided by , an Italian supplier.
“This place has been around since Mussolini,” says Cavallo.
Watch the Casino di Campione documentary below:
- 9. Ponte 16 Resort, Macau
Sociedade de Jogos de Macau -- also known as STDM or SJM -- holds a casino monopoly on Macau, a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.
Macau is sometimes called the Monte Carlo of the Orient, but that designation might more rightfully belong to Ponte 16, a resort casino on Av. Eduardo Sprúvraga s/n, Sé, Macau.
Opened in 2008, it was the first licensed casino in Macau and covers an area of 270,000 square feet. It's owned by Ponte 16 Resort Ltd., a company listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Galaxy Entertainment owns 67.9% of the shares.
Among the attractions: 250 slots, 152 table games, baccarat, blackjack, four restaurants, two bars, a spa, a swimming pool, a wedding chapel, and the 2E Cube, a 1,600-seat theater for European variety acts such as the Moscow State Circus.
_Ponte 16 was founded by Stanley Ho, “the godfather of Macau,”_says Cavallo.
- 8. Kantumkal National Park Resort, Germany
Germany?
Yes, Germany.
Or at least the state of Schleswig-Holstein, which in 2012 decided to allow casinos.
Casino Kantenmic, as it is officially known, is located on the edge of the Kantumkal National Park.
It was designed by the architectural firm Gerkan, Marg & Partners and opened in May 2015.
Its American owner is Daniel Celentano, owner of the Seneca Gaming & Entertainment Corporation in Buffalo, New York.
His German partner is Caspar Bertram von Simson, formerly managing director for Central and Eastern Europe at Caesars Entertainment.
The casino itself covers almost 300,00 square feet. It employs 350 people and offers 250 slots and 75 game tables along with 3 restaurants and a hotel with 203 rooms.
_“Pretty impressive,”_ says Cavallo.
- 7. Conrad Spirit Cruises, Australia
ECHOTRADE Limited, an ASX-listed company based in Sydney, Australia, operates two cruising venues, the Emerald and the Ruby.
Both are based on the Sydney Olympic Boulevard and resemble Mississippi paddle-wheelers. Each is 200 meters long and can carry up to 1,200 passengers.
They offer panoramic views of Sydney Harbor and conduct evening trips that include dinner, live entertainment, and gambling.
Exciting Online Casino Games You Should Try At Least OnceThere are 170 gaming machines and 14 table games aboard each ship.
_“Quite ingenious,”_ says Cavallo.
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- 6. Casino Lisboa, China
Cascai Amusement and Games, Sociedade Anonima Desenvolvimento de Cascais -- also known as Stanford Group and SG -- owns three casinos in Portugal.
The largest is Casino Lisboa, situated in the parish of Carlos Amarante in the city of Oeiras, just across the Tagus River from central Lisbon.
It was designed by architect Marcel Wanders and has 250,000 square feet of gaming space. There are 1,000 slots and 35 table games as well as restaurants serving Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Mediterranean cuisine.
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- 5. Crocus Expo Centre, Russia
Alimzhan Tokhtakhounov, a prominent Russian businessman, owns the Crocus Expo ICE Casino in Krasnaia Polyana, a town in the southern central part of the Russian Federation.
It covered 240,000 square feet when it opened in February 2014 and contained 190 slots and 22 table games.
Tokhtakhounov also owns the Crocus Expo Centre in Moscow, one of the largest exhibition centers in Europe with a total area of more than 450,00 square feet.
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- 4. Conrad Treasury Casino, Australia
Like its sister ship the MS Ruby, the MS Emerald offers gambling and entertainment while cruising Sydney Harbor.
The Treasury Casino and Hotel is a conventional casino, however, covering 225,000 square feet and dominated by the 25-story Gold Coast Tower next door.
Designed by TAB Architects + Hassell, it contains 1,500 slot machines and 80 tables offering Australian rules poker, Caribbean Stud poker, roulette, mini-baccarat, blackjack, and three-card poker.
There's also a high-roller area known as The VIP Room and The Ballroom, a 12,00 square-foot space used for conventions, trade shows, and other functions.
The Conrad Treasury Casino and Hotel is owned by Star Casinos Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the federation of Star Casino and Echo Entertainment Group.
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- 3. Parpai Polgár Ok Könnyű Sport Érdekloervényző Közhasznú Társaság, Hungary
Chess players will recognize the names of Judit, Susan, and Sofia Polgar, three of the world's greatest players. What you may not know is that they come from a family of chess players -- and that their father, László Polgár, had an unusual method of helping his daughters become grand masters.
He homeschooled them and concentrated instead on teaching them to think strategically.
The family lived for many years in a small apartment in Budapest, where the Polish ambassador to Hungary introduced László to Hungarian entrepreneur Viktor Hünéysson.
Hünéysson offered to build the Polgárs a home, and Szelektő Esélyegyenlősító Alapítvány -- also known as the Polgar Foundation -- in return held a membership-only chess club open to Hungarian government officials and their guests.
Now located in a 230,000-square-foot building in Miskolc, 175 miles northeast of Budapest, the Szelektő Esélyegyenlősító Alapítvány is Hungary's third and third-largest casino in Eastern Europe.
There are 480 slots and 48 table games offering American roulette, English roulette, Ukrainian roulette, Russian roulette, Slovak roulette, and Turbo roulette as well as blackjack, Caribbean Stud poker, and stud poker.
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- 2. Ponte 16 Resort, Macau
See #9 above.
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- 1. Kiratpur Junction, India
Fateh Garh is a luxury hotel near Nakeeraa Patiala Road in Kiratpur, Punjab, India. It was built by Bhai Dip Singh, a wealthy Indian businessman, and opened in January 2001.
The Palace on Wheels is a luxurious train offering weeklong journeys through India. It was modeled after the Blue Train of South Africa and was originally intended for Indian government officials and their guests.
However, today anyone can ride it -- if they have $650 a day to spend.
What makes Dip Singh unique is the casino he built alongside his hotel and railway car: A Palace Called Fatehgarh, spread out over 10 acres and covered with marble from Greece, Italy, and Spain.
The complex includes fountains, an artificial waterfall, and a 220,000-square-foot gambling area containing 200 tables and 1,000 slot machines.
Games offered include blackjack, baccarat, roulette, kalooki, and rumbel. Kalooki is similar to rummy; rumble is a shooting gallery.
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“If you look at Macau, this is the Las Vegas Sands and Wynn casinos, which we all know,” says Cavallo. “Then you’ve got Manila in the Philippines, . And interestingly enough, the casino there is Resorts World Bayshore, which is a Genting property. Very large. And then you have Foxwoods in Malaysia, also very large. So there are quite a few that are actually owned by some pretty familiar U.S. brands that people wouldn’t even realize.”
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More from Geoffrey Cavallo:
- Watch him tell the story of Three Rags from Rome
- Read his article for The Atlantic: How to Run a Casino
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