Overview
The Casino de Monte-Carlo opened in 1863 and is run by the Société des Bains de Mer, in which the Monegasque state holds a majority stake. It scores 9.0 overall. The Belle Époque building was designed in part by Charles Garnier, who also built the attached Salle Garnier opera house, and the interior rooms — the Salle Europe, the Salle Blanche, the Salons Privés — are the reason to go. This is the one property on this site where the architecture, not the gaming floor, is the main event.
It is also the smallest, and it is not a hotel. Guests stay at the Hôtel de Paris, the Hôtel Hermitage or elsewhere in the principality and walk to the casino across the Place du Casino.
The casino floor
Gaming is French and European in character: roulette in both French and English forms, trente et quarante, punto banco and blackjack, with the Salons Privés reserved for higher stakes. The atmosphere is closer to a members’ club than a floor, and the pace is slower than in Macau or Las Vegas.
The minimum age is 18. A passport or national ID card is required for entry and is checked at the door. Citizens and residents of Monaco are not permitted to gamble, a rule that has applied since the casino was founded. There is an entrance charge for the gaming rooms, and separate daytime visiting hours for people who want to see the building without playing.
Dress code
This is the strictest code of the five properties, and it is enforced. Beachwear, sportswear, shorts and flip-flops are refused at any hour. Jackets are expected for men in the Salons Privés and in the evening throughout, and trainers are not accepted. If you are travelling light, plan for it before you arrive.
What else is on site
Le Train Bleu and the Salle Blanche bar sit inside the building; the Salle Garnier next door carries opera and concert programmes through the season. The Café de Paris and the Hôtel de Paris face the same square, and the Jardins des Boulingrins run down towards the port. Nice Côte d’Azur is the nearest airport, roughly 30 kilometres west, with a helicopter transfer as the fastest connection.