Monte Carlo Casino, Beaux-Arts casino in Monte Carlo, Monaco
Monte Carlo Casino is a Beaux-Arts gambling house in Monte Carlo, Monaco that unites several gaming rooms, reception halls, and an opera house within a single building complex. The interiors display polished marble floors, carved wooden panelling, and painted ceilings that extend across multiple interconnected salons.
The first casino opened in 1856 in Villa Bellevu in La Condamine, before François Blanc took over the concession in 1863 and formed the Société des Bains de Mer. In 1878–79 Charles Garnier and Jules Dutrou transformed the building, adding the Salle Garnier concert hall facing the sea. Garnier had designed the Paris opera house, completed in 1875 with the help of a loan from Blanc.
The main entrance with its heavy bronze doors and polished stone steps leads into a large reception area where gamblers and visitors move beneath high vaulted ceilings. In the salons, guests sit at green baize tables while the rooms with their golden ornaments and murals create a formal atmosphere that recalls the world of French theatre.
Visitors should check current dress code requirements before their visit, as trainers, shorts, and similar casual clothing are not allowed in the gaming areas. The main rooms sit on the ground floor and first floor, with some areas accessible only to active players.
Monaco's residents are barred from the gaming rooms, a rule introduced by Princess Caroline on moral grounds. The casino holds 56 gaming tables and keeps 36,000 decks of cards in a separate room kept at 20 degrees Celsius.
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