From the thrill of placing one’s monetary gains at the mercy of the ever-fickle probabilistic outcomes of gambling, where fortunes could be made or lost with the flick of a wrist at the high table, to the dazzling allure of smartly dressed patrons, scrumptious food, and fit-for-royalty apartments, casinos are an exotic assault on the senses and a veritable treat for people weary of the mundane.
While almost all casinos attempt to outdo each other to stand out from the proverbial pack, the so-called apex predators of this world - ones that have been the most expensive to build - take this endeavor to its literal extreme, plowing phenomenal resources into creating an environment that dazzles even the most staid of souls into a more festive mood.
So, without further ado, here is a list of the most expensive casinos in the world:
Aria Campus is the current crown jewel of Las Vegas, the world’s mecca for casinos. Constructed in collaboration with MGM Resorts and Dubai World, the mega-complex on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, hosts the Aria Resort and Casino, the Vdara Hotel, the Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas Hotel, the Veer Towers condominiums, and two shopping malls: The Shops at Crystals and 63.
MGM initially conceived the Aria Campus as the CityCenter in November 2004 and spent the next 20 months fine-tuning the mega-complex’s master plan. The project, which spans over 1.7 million square meters, opened in December 2009 at a cost of $8.5 billion. This makes the Aria the most expensive casino in the world.
Located at Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay, its name-sake casino resort, the Marina Bay Sands, opened its doors to the public in 2010. The project bore an estimated cost of 8 billion Singaporean Dollars or around 6 billion USD, clinching the title of the most expensive standalone casino in the world.
Marina Bay Sands includes a hotel, a convention center, The Shoppes Mall, a museum, and a casino that boasts 500 tables and 1,600 slot machines. The project spans three towers decked by the Sands Skypark, which includes one of the world's largest infinity swimming pools.
Owned by Wynn Resorts, the Encore is located on the Las Vegas strip in Paradise, Nevada. Completed in a little over two years at a cost of $2.3 billion, the Encore opened in December 2008.
The project encompasses a 48-story hotel, a dedicated shopping area, and a vast casino with 72,000 square feet of gaming space, including 1,000 slot machines and 128 tables.
Macau is often referred to as Asia’s answer to Las Vegas. Owned by Wynn Resorts, the Wynn Palace officially opened its doors in August 2016, incurring total costs of $4.1 billion.
Wynn Palace encompasses a 28-story hotel, a vast retail space, 13 restaurants, Macau’s largest spa, and a casino spread over 424,000 square feet. Forbes Travel Guide has awarded Wynn Palace its Five Star designation - a veritable rarity for a hotel with more than 1,000 rooms.
Owned by the Las Vegas Sands company, the Venetian Macau opened in August 2007 at the Cotai Strip after incurring construction costs of $2.4 billion.
The Venetian Macau was billed as Asia’s largest hotel in 2007, boasting a 39-story hotel with 3,000 suits, dedicated convention and retail space, and a casino spread over 550,000 square feet, with a whopping 3,400 slot machines and 800 gambling tables.
Wynn Las Vegas is the third project owned by Wynn Resorts to make it into the list of top casinos in the world. The project opened in 2005 after incurring total construction costs of $2.7 billion, becoming the most expensive resort of the time.
In combination with the Encore, the Wynn complex boasts 4,748 rooms and a gigantic 188,786 square feet of gaming space. The cumulative cost of the two sister projects is pegged at $5.2 billion, including additions.
The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas opened in December 2010 after its developer defaulted on a construction loan from Deutsche Bank during the Great Financial Crisis of 2008-2009. The casino accumulated $3.9 billion in total construction costs.
Operated by MGM Resorts International, the project consists of two hotel towers with a combined capacity of 3,033 rooms, a theater, a number of restaurants, and a 100,000 square feet casino, with 1,400 slot machines and 80 tables, including 15 “high roller” tables in the Talon Club.
Located on Singapore’s Sentosa island, the Resorts World Sentosa opened its doors to the general public in 2010 after incurring total construction costs of 4.5 billion Singaporean Dollars or 2.80 billion US Dollars. Currently, the resort is undergoing costly expansion to the tune of 6.8 billion Singaporean Dollars or 5 billion US Dollars. The expansion will add a 700-room capacity to the resort’s existing inventory of 1,840 rooms across six hotels.
Resort World Sentosa’s casino is located under the Crockfords Tower and boasts 2,400 slot machines and 500 gaming tables.
City of Dreams in Macau opened in June 2009 after incurring total construction costs of $2.4 billion. Following its expansion, Forbes declared The City of Dreams the world’s third-largest casino in 2020.
Spread over four hotels and five hotel towers, the project boasts three casinos with a cumulative gaming space of 420,000 square feet, including 487 slot machines and 496 gaming tables.
The iconic Bellagio opened its doors to the general public in October 1998 after incurring total construction costs of $1.6 billion. At the time of its completion, it was dubbed the most expensive casino ever built.
The Bellagio includes a hotel, an artificial lake, and a casino spread over 156,000 square feet. It also boasts a 1,800-seat theater.
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