No two casinos are exactly alike. Some casinos embrace Old World opulence and class: the famed Casino de Monte-Carlo is a prime example. Others, such as those on the Las Vegas Strip, opt for bolder, brasher and more extravagant themes. All casinos, however, are bound together by what goes on inside: thrilling, high-stakes games, where players can win—or lose—it all.

Trivia Scorsese was Golden Globe nominated for Best Director. Sharon Stone won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama and was nominated for an Academy Award. Casino Royale was the first James Bond novel written by Ian Fleming. Both Sean Connery AND Roger Moore starred in Bond movies in 1983. Though this is the most extensive list of tidbits online, there is always room for more. If you come up with one that is not listed here, please e-mail Universal Exports. Apr 19, 2017 “Casino” is one of the all-time great movies about Las Vegas. The film, released in 1995, was inspired by real people and, in large part, actual events. “Casino” is a funny, violent, eye-opening glimpse into the colorful history and culture of Las Vegas casinos, and the film has helped shape how many perceive Sin City, for better or worse.

Casinos are undoubtedly fascinating places, but how much do you really know about them? Check out our list of casino facts and trivia to find out more—some of these facts will certainly surprise you!

1. The first casino in the world was the Ridotto in Venice.

In the 1600s, games of chance had sprung up on the streets of Venice. The city's Grand Council realised that it could not prevent its citizens from gambling on these games, so it decided instead to create the world's first casino, the Ridotto (meaning “private room”), which opened in 1638. Though the original casino was closed in 1774, the city's casino tradition lived on, and today's Casinò di Venezia traces its roots to the original Ridotto, which was housed in the same building.

2. The world's top casino city isn't where you might expect...

Think that Las Vegas is the world capital of gambling? Think again! Sin City has now been overtaken by Macau in China, which now boasts 33 different casinos. In August 2017 alone, Macau's casinos took in the equivalent of £2.15 billion in revenue—and those figures are still growing rapidly.

3. ...and it also has the world's largest casino.

Where else would you find the world's largest casino than in the world's biggest casino city? The Venetian Macao is not only the biggest casino on Earth, but also the world's seventh-largest building by floor area, coming in at a colossal 10,500,000 square feet!

4. Casinos (mostly) don't have clocks.

Casino design is something of a psychological affair. Casinos, naturally, want you to spend as much time—and money—inside as possible. It's for this reason that most casinos don't have clocks, meaning that players lose track of time. However, this isn't quite a hard-and-fast rule: one of Las Vegas' most profitable casinos, the Bellagio, purposely eschews most principles of typical casino design, and includes clocks.

5. Online casinos have been around for over two decades.

As is often the case with the earliest days of the internet, there's some uncertainty surrounding which was the first online casino. There are two main competing claims to the title: InterCasino, a site which still exists to this day, and The Gaming Club. It's hard to establish which came first, but both were definitely around by 1996. Though the Gaming Club is no longer with us, it was actually created by Microgaming, who have since become one of the world's powerhouse software providers, creating a vast array of different online slot games. Check out our guide to the different bingo software providers to learn more!

6. Slot machines are the most popular casino games.

This one won't come as a surprise to anyone who's ever played in a casino, either on land or online: slot machines and video poker are the most popular casino games around. In a survey, 61% of casino visitors chose slots as their favourite casino games, followed by blackjack and roulette. This popularity has carried over to the internet, with slots being created with a number of different themes, from game show slots to sports-themed slots, and even some downright weird slots. However, whilst slots dominate casinos in the West, baccarat is king in Asia.

7. One man sold all his possessions and bet it all on a single spin.

While playing casino games, we've probably all taken a few risks every now and then. However, none are quite so daring as the one taken by Ashley Revell from Kent. He sold everything he owned—including all of his clothes—and bet the entire amount, $135,000, on a single spin of the roulette wheel. He bet on red—and, luckily, won, doubling his money to $270,000.

8. Gambling in Las Vegas kept FedEx alive.

Nowadays, FedEx is one of the world's largest delivery companies, with operations spanning the globe. However, in the 1970s, the company was struggling to deal with skyrocketing oil prices, and was down to its last $5,000. The company's CEO Fred Smith took the money to Las Vegas, where he gambled the $5,000 and ended up winning $27,000. The winnings gave the company enough money to continue operating for a few more days, by which point Smith had managed to secure some big investments. We owe it all to Vegas!

9. The word casino comes from Italian.

Given that the world's first casino was in Venice, you may well have guessed this fact already! Casino comes from the Italian word casa, meaning house, and originally referred to villas or summerhouses. However, if you decide to visit a casino whilst on holiday to Italy, be very careful. The Italian word casinòmust have an accent—a casino (without an accent) is a very different kind of establishment!

10. Citizens of Monaco aren't allowed to gamble in their own casinos!

Finally, we'll end on one of the more bizarre casino facts. The tiny principality of Monaco is well known for its status as a playground for the world's rich and famous, with its annual Formula One Grand Prix and, of course, the world-famous Casino de Monte-Carlo. However, citizens of Monaco are banned from gambling in their country's casinos. They're not even allowed inside the gaming rooms unless they work there, with ID being checked on the door. This is because the casino was created specifically for foreigners as a money-spinner for the Monégasque state.

Want to learn more about your favourite online games? Check out...

Donald Trump has a long history in Atlantic City. During the big boom period of New Jersey's gambling capital, Trump built the Taj Mahal (now the Hard Rock Casino and Resort) and also ran the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.

At the time, the Taj Mahal was one of the most impressive casinos on earth. Trump invested $1 billion in the monstrous casino, and it was poised to be the most luxurious casino in the U.S.

Both of Trump's casinos went bankrupt. And many contractors and employees fell on hard times as a result.

But how much of this has to do with the up-and-down nature of the casino industry, and how much with Trump's business practices?

Read to get the details below.

Table of Openings and Closings of Trumps Atlantic City Properties

Trump Plaza (1984-2014)

Trump Plaza (a casino and hotel) was Trump's first and more successful business venture in Atlantic City. Trump Plaza would grow to have 906 hotel rooms. The casino contained over 86,000 square feet of gaming space.

Breaking ground, then filling it, then breaking it again

Trump seized upon the opportunity during the height of the casino boom in Atlantic City. He struck a deal with the Holiday Inn company to build the casino and hotel buidling. Harrah's was already at the marina and looking to expand, so the deal was made that Harrah's new casino would be in Trump Plaza.

Despite the fact that Trump was having his building constructed by Holiday Inn and the casino organized by Harrah's, he was slow to break ground. In his Art of the Deal, Trump wrote that had his builders dig a hole, to satisfy Holiday Inn inspectors, and then fill it again when they left.

Trump Plaza's First Years

Casino 1995 Wiki

Trump Plaza cost $210 million to build. When it opened on May 15th, 1984, it was the largest casino in Atlantic City.

While it had a rather strong beginning, by 1990 Trump Plaza was having serious financial problems. In part, this was due to competition from none other than Trump's Taj Mahal.

After seeking a backer for years, the Trump Plaza closed in 2014, laying off around 1,000 employees.

Trump Plaza and Scorsese's Casino

Gambler Akio Kashiwagi lost $10 million in baccarat at Trump Plaza in 1990. Not long after, Martin Scorsese's made it the subject of his film, Casino (1995).

Trump's Taj Mahal (1990-2016)

Trump's Taj Mahal opened with some serious publicity. It was declared the Eighth Wonder of the World. Indeed it was covered with marble, enormous glass walls, and onion domes. Modeled after the white marble Taj Mahal in Agra, India, Trump's Taj Mahal was no less visually spectacular.

Casino 1995 Trivia Facts

Funding the Taj Mahal

The Taj was financed with $700m worth of 'junk bonds.' Junk bonds are high-risk, high-yield loans given to companies with low-credit ratings. This meant the Taj had to come up with $94m a year just to pay off its debts, and $1m a day to be profitable

Trump and Unpaid contractors

“You have to be very rough and very tough with most contractors, or they’ll take the shirt right off your back.” --- Donald Trump: The Art of the Deal

'Atlantic City fueled a lot of growth for me'

- Donald Trump, to New York Times (June 11, 2016)

At the opening of Trump’s Taj Mahal in 1990, he owed $70 million to various contractors. While the casino was not a complete failure, it did not make the kind of money it needed. By 2016, the casino had closed completely bankrupt.

Trump's bankruptcy meant that several contractors were never paid for their work and materials. Below are some claims for unpaid debts to contractors:

• $2 million to Robert Morrison of the Molded Fiber Glass Co. for creating onion domes
• undisclosed amount to Michael MacLeod, sculptor of elephant statues
• $1.2 million for the paving stones leading up to the Taj to Mario Paone
• $1.1 million to Marty Rosenberg for floor-to-ceiling curtain walls of glass
• $3.9 million owed to John Millar, marble supplier
• more than $500,000 owed to landscaper Herman Caucci
• $580,000 owed to Frank Lundy for overseeing construction clean-up
• $232,000, George Jenkins, the bathroom partition man who had to lay off his brother

The contractor who made the Taj's eye-catching onion domes claimed $2 million in losses. The contractor who supplied the Carrara marble from Italy ended up filing for personal bankruptcy. The contractor who put in the bathroom partitions had to lay off his brother.

Marty Rosenberg, who was installing floor-to-ceiling curtain walls of glass, was owed $1.1 Million.

Casino 1995 Trivia

Competing Atlantic City Casinos

Although the Trump Taj Mahal was deeply in debt and filed for bankruptcy, thus leading to Trump losing many of his assets, Atlantic City continued to boast huge revenues. By the early 2000s, revenues hit $4 billion.

Trump’s reign in Atlantic City came to an end in 2004, when his consolidated company Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts filed for bankruptcy, with Trump resigning as chairman.

Many other Atlantic City casinos' revenues saw constant growth throughout Trump’s public battle against bankruptcy. These revenues would only see a decline following the 2008 recession.

Sources