Monte Carlo Casino

If you’re going to get fu**ed, you might as well bend over here in Monte Carlo’s marble and gold Belle Époque casino. This makes the highest-end Vegas casinos look like cheap roadside squalor.

This is Europe’s oldest casino. It was designed by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Paris Opera House, and constructed in 1865. The fresco-adorned Salle Garnier was built in 1878, as was the marble-paved, onyx-columned main entrance hall. The Salle Empire was completed in 1910.

Just in case you had any doubts about which side the odds favor, know that the casino was constructed as a remedy for Monaco’s cash flow problems. It is illegal for any citizen of Monaco to enter the premises. All others must register passports and pay a €10 cover (it’s worth it to see the inside, where you might as well have a drink and play a round of craps). And remember – this is not the stomping grounds for flip-flop clad, high-BMI Midwesterners; gamblers must be appropriately attired and the private areas require jackets and ties at night.

And did I mention the casino is owned by Monaco’s largest corporation and founding owner, Société des Bains de Mer (Sea Bathing Society), of which the state is the leading shareholder?

casino, Monte Carlo, Garnier, Monaco

, , ,

2 Responses to Monte Carlo Casino