Well before Las Vegas became a thing, the small European principality of Monaco was the gambling capital of the world, and the name “Monte Carlo” was synonymous with gambling. Casino Estoril, Lisbon, Portugal. Situated 18km south west of Lisbon in Portugal lies this beauty. Called a gambling paradise, it’s famous for its no tax on winnings policy, which makes it. Organizations in this hub have their headquarters located in Europe; notable events and people located in Europe are also included. This list of companies and startups in Europe in the gambling space provides data on their funding history, investment activities, and acquisition trends. Monte-Carlo, Monaco. Country: Monaco (Partially France) Number Of Casinos: 4.

Well before Las Vegas became a thing, the small European principality of Monaco was the gambling capital of the world, and the name “Monte Carlo” was synonymous with gambling.

Since opening in 1863, the Monte Carlo Casino has remained one of the the finest European casinos to this day: a gambling icon on a mountain top overlooking Monaco, attracting tourists and gamblers from all over the world.

There’s no doubt that the Monte Carlo is one of the oldest such places in the world, and one of the most beautiful … but are there others that exceed its gleam and history?

There are at least two!

The Oldest: The Venice Casino

Casinò di Venezia, founded in 1638, is recognized as the oldest gambling establishment in the world – it was originally a theatre called the Theatre Saint Moses, which had a wing for gambling during the intermissions of plays.

Known as the Ridotto (Italian for ‘private room’), it was set up to control gambling during the Venice carnival season, but by 1770 it was closed down, leaving Venice without a legal gambling house until 1930 (the city felt gambling was impoverishing the local nobles).

Gambling Capital Of Europe

Back then, if you weren’t a patron of the theater, it was prohibited to gamble in an organized setting, but by 1744, Venice was well and truly experiencing a casino craze; the city had more than 120 different (illegal) gambling houses.

After being brought back into commission in the 1930’s, Casinò di Venezia today sits in the Ca ‘Vendramin Calergi – a centuries-old palazzo in the city’s historic center. Completed in 1509, this is the oldest building home to a casino today.

Over the centuries, the Ca ‘Vendramin Calergi changed hand several times and was home to crowned heads and famous faces ranging from Duke Eric II of Brunswick-Calenberg to German composer Richard Wagner who lived his last two years among its walls.

The Venice Casino Today

Today, the Venice Casino actually sites in two locations, but it’s signature venue is the Ca’ Vendramin Calergi on the Grand Canal. The other venue is Ca’ Noghera, near the Marco Polo airport.

There are hundreds of ways to gamble here, from blackjack to roulette and poker, all hosted by dealers in tuxedos, alongside 600 slot machines and ongoing tournaments for pros, like the World Poker Tour.

Though even if you’re not interested in gambling, you can dine at the renowned Wagner Restaurant, or simply visit the sophisticated building for the glamour; a perfect example of a renaissance style stately home.

The Ca’ Vendramin Calergi has been used for many Hollywood sets, and is often home to Venice Film Festival events. So many people head here for celebrity spotting. It was also the main inspiration for the Bond film Casino Royale.

The dress code is smart casual; you can dress in casual clothes, but must dress respectfully. Beachwear is not allowed in the summer, and you should not wear short trousers, tank tops, sandals, flip-flops, slippers and / or tracksuits.

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The Most Beautiful: The Wiesbaden Casino

Image: Martin Kraft(photo.martinkraft.com) / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Wiesbaden (Germany) has a long history as a spa town – the curative properties of its thermal springs were known to the Romans conquering the area, and at one time, Wiesbaden boasted 26 hot springs.

Gambling followed bathing in the 19th century, and in the 1800’s Wiesbaden quickly became famous for both. Its casino (Spielbank) was known to rival Bad Homburg, Baden-Baden, and even Monaco, set up in the city’s main Kurhaus (spa house).

The casino closed down in 1872, when the government closed down all German gambling houses. When it reopened in 1949 the Kurhaus building was beautiful, but relatively small, and couldn’t accommodate the influx of tourists during the coming century.

A new building was commissioned between 1903 and 1905, and the old spa house was demolished to make way for the new. Architect Friedrich von Thiersch created what Kaiser Wilhelm II called “the most beautiful spa building in the world” at it’s opening ceremony.

The casino today sits inside the former wine hall of the Kurhaus. In addition to roulette and American roulette, black jack and poker are also played. And you can choose from 170 slot machines.

Today, the Wiesbaden Spielbank is considered by many to be the most beautiful casino in the world with its Art Nouveau architectural style, lush interior decorations, statues, and traditional gaming options (combined with modern-day games as well).

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New data published by the European Gaming and Betting Association (EGBA) in partnership with H2 Gambling Capital suggests the gross gaming revenue for the UK and EU-27 countries will fall by 23% from €98.6bn in 2019 to €75.9bn this year.

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The study forecasts Europe’s online gambling revenue to increase by 7% this year – from €24.5bn GGR in 2019 to €26.3bn in 2020 – despite a significant drop in online revenue during Q2 as a result of the cancellation of major European sports. However, this will not compensate for Europe’s major land-based declines, with land-based gambling revenue expected to drop by 33% this year – from €74.1bn GGR in 2019 to €49.6bn in 2020 – due to the shuttering of land-based establishments.

Looking ahead, the steady growth of Europe’s online gambling market is expected to continue, with online GGR expected to grow approximately 7% yearly and reach 33.6% of Europe’s total gambling revenue by 2025.

The study suggests play via mobile will account for 45.6% of Europe’s online gambling revenue in 2020 and reach 50.8% by 2022, surpassing the use of desktop for the first time. This trend is expected to continue, with mobile betting projected to reach a 58.2% share in 2025.

“Like many other sectors, Europe’s gambling sector has taken a hit from COVID-19 this year but the growth trend of online continues to be strong,” said Maarten Haijer, secretary general of EGBA.

“There is also still lots of room for growth in markets like France, Germany, Italy, and Spain, where the online penetration of the total gambling market is still relatively low compared to other European countries.”

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EGBA has also published detailed information from its member companies — bet365, Betsson Group, Entain, Kindred Group, and William Hill – including information about their customers, market value, games, investment in sports, licensing and regulatory compliance.

Its members had a total of 16 million online customers, with an average customer win/return rate of 94.3%.

In terms of social responsibility, 63% of customers used at least one safer gambling tool, an increase from 37% of customers in the previous year. The operators conducted 1.2 million direct interventions with customers to promote safer gambling, a 50% increase from the previous year.

The members had a combined €5.6bn in online GGR, and invested €340m in European sports, through sponsorships (€107m) and streaming rights (€233m), an increase of 56% from the previous year.

In terms of regulatory compliance, a total of 145 online gambling licenses have been obtained across 17 European countries. They have closed 1.8m customer accounts due to know-your-customer, fraud, anti-money laundering, and betting integrity/match fixing concerns.

Haijer said: “We commend our members efforts in support of safer gambling and their significant investments in European sports.”