Monaco’s gambling culture is inseparable from the birth of Monte-Carlo itself: in the 19th century the ruling Grimaldi family turned a struggling principality into a luxury destination by building a casino, funding a tax-free state largely on visitors’ losses. That legacy endures in a strict, glamorous, tourist-facing casino scene run by the state-linked Societe des Bains de Mer, where residents are famously barred from the tables and European classics like roulette and trente et quarante still set the tone. Gambling here is theatre and prestige as much as wagering.

How it began

The first casino opened on 14 December 1856 in a villa, but early management struggled. The turning point came in 1863 when Francois Blanc took over, receiving a long concession and building up the Societe des Bains de Mer. On Blanc’s insistence, the Spelugues district was renamed Monte-Carlo in honour of Prince Charles III, and the main casino opened to the public in July 1865. The building was substantially expanded in 1878-79 with the involvement of Charles Garnier, architect of the Paris Opera, adding the concert hall later known as the Salle Garnier. Casino revenue famously allowed Monaco to abolish personal income tax for residents in 1869.

The resident ban

One of Monaco’s most distinctive rules is that Monegasque citizens are forbidden from the casino gaming rooms. The rule is attributed to Princess Caroline, the de facto regent, who amended the rules on moral grounds, so that gambling generated revenue from visitors while shielding locals. To this day it defines the culture: the casinos are a spectacle for tourists and high-rollers, not a local pastime.

The SBM concession

Casino operation is an exclusive concession of the SBM, a company in which the Monegasque government is the majority shareholder. Today two casinos sit on the Place du Casino. The Casino de Monte-Carlo is the historic, dress-code-driven flagship of Belle Epoque grandeur. Next door, the Casino Cafe de Paris is the accessible, high-volume venue, with around 480 slot machines and a slot floor open 24 hours a day (a smart dress code still applies).

The gaming mix is classic European. Roulette and trente et quarante anchor the tables, alongside baccarat, punto banco, blackjack and craps. Slot machines and video poker fill the Cafe de Paris. Poker has a strong modern presence: Monaco hosts the PokerStars EPT Monte-Carlo each year at the Sporting Monte-Carlo, one of the European Poker Tour’s flagship stops, with a headline Main Event and high-roller events that draw elite fields.

Attitudes today

Monaco’s relationship with gambling is deliberately outward-facing. The Principality profits from and celebrates its casinos as heritage and spectacle, while keeping residents out of the gaming rooms - a tension that has shaped its identity for over 150 years. For visitors, a night at Monte-Carlo is as much about the architecture, the dress code and the sense of occasion as it is about the wager.

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