Gambling is one of the most popular activities, both online and in real-life. There are dozens of brick-mortar-casinos all over the world, all of which are packed with glamour, glitz, and life. However, there are also several closed casinos that have since been abandoned by its customers but many of these have since become hot tourist attractions thanks to their stunning architecture. Take a look at some examples below:
Asbury Park Casino, New Jersey
The Asbury Park Casino in New Jersey, the USA, was one of the most popular casinos in the state. Opened in the early 1900s, the casino sat on the boardwalk and was visited by hundreds of Americans looking to enjoy the venue’s game rooms, theatre, shops, and restaurants. Unfortunately, the entire town fell into a decline which led the casino to close its doors around the 1960s. The venue has sat on the boardwalk since then, devoid of life and slowly deteriorating.
Fun Fact: New Jersey was one of the first states to legalise gambling in the United States. Today, the East Coast state is paving the way for regulating online gambling, following countries like the United Kingdom, the world’s largest market for legal online casinos and sister sites.
Bokor Palace Hotel and Casino, Cambodia
The Bokor Palace Hotel and Casino sits atop a huge mountain on the Cambodian coastline. The venue opened in 1922 and its construction led to the death of around 900 people. When it opened, the resort provided the citizens of Cambodia with plenty of entertainment with its dance halls, entertainment rooms, and extraordinary restaurants. The casino, which opened in 1962, was also home to a large hotel which offered views over the mountain, so it’s easy to see why the site was so popular. However, the resort and casino was eventually abandoned and has remained empty. Many still visit the majestic site but there have been rumours of ghosts appearing around it.
Casino Constanta, Romania
Sitting on the shore of the Black Sea is Romania’s Casino Constanta. The abandoned casino, which features an Art Nouveau design, was designed back in the early 1900s. Reports claim the magnificent building was designed by architects Daniel Renard and Petre Antonescu and that it opened between World War One and World War Two. While the venue attracted the wealthy elite with its fantastic selection of casino games, high ceilings and windows, crystal chandeliers, and views of the sea, the site was shut down in 1990 and remains empty today. All the remains of the casino are broken windows, chipped paint, and dark casino game rooms. Still, the site remains popular with tourists who flock to the casino imagining its past glory.
Penthouse Adriatic Casino, Croatia
The Penthouse Adriatic Casino is an abandoned resort that can be found in Croatia. The resort was built by American businessman Bob Guccione during the Cold War and he invested over $40 million into the resort on the island of Krk. The resort opened in the early 1970s and was hugely popular, attracting guests from all over the world. It featured giant swimming pools, beautiful gardens, and unclad waitresses and croupiers. Reports suggest that some of the site’s most notable visitors were Saddam Hussein and former Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme. Sadly, the casino went bankrupt a year after opening and was quickly shut down, forcing it to join the other abandoned casinos on this list.