Fancy trying your luck at a wacky and wonderful casino?
MailOnline Travel has scoured the world for the most bizarre gambling spots.
In the mix is a casino hidden inside a mock fairytale castle, a gaming hall shaped like a whale’s tail and another hidden in the basement of an English country house. Scroll down and take a spin around some of the strangest spots to count your winnings, or nurse your losses…
Club Casino, Ushuaia
Club Casino, or the End of World Casino, in Ushuaia, Argentina, is shaped like a whale’s fluke
Located on the shores of the world’s southernmost city, the casino in Ushuaia, Argentina, boasts some head-turning architecture.
The waterfront building, which is called Club Casino or the End of World Casino, is shaped like a whale’s fluke.
It opened in 2009 to cater to tourists passing through the remote city en route to Antarctica and ship workers. It boasts three floors with slot machines, a dedicated poker room and a restaurant looking out over the Beagle Channel, where Charles Darwin recorded seeing his first glacier in 1833.
Dragonara Casino, Malta
An aerial shot of Malta’s famed Dragonara Casino, which is housed within a 19th-century palace on a peninsula
Dragonara Casino, located in Malta’s bustling town of Saint Julian’s, is situated within a former palace and it sits on its very own peninsula, providing gamblers with breathtaking sea views.
The grand classically styled building was built in 1870 as the summer residence of the Marquis Scicluna.
It has been operating as a casino since 1964 and it is now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with 300 slot machines, 15 live tables and a premier poker room on offer.
Excalibur Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas
Excalibur Hotel & Casino opened in June 1990, and at the time it was the largest hotel in the world, with over 4,000 rooms covering over 70 acres
Excalibur Hotel & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip is a mock fairytale castle, complete with multiple towers.
It opened in June 1990, and at the time it was the largest hotel in the world, with over 4,000 rooms covering over 70 acres.
Meanwhile, the 100,000-square-foot gaming area includes 1,200 slot machines and a poker room that is open 24 hours daily. A medieval theme runs throughout the building, with turrets popping up on the casino floor and a restaurant called the Camelot Steakhouse.
North Cadbury Court, UK
North Cadbury Court was built in the 16th century and boasts a hidden casino in the cellar
Set in the heart of the English countryside in Somerset, North Cadbury Court holds a unique secret.
Beneath the sprawling 16th century stately home, the converted cellar boasts a hidden casino. Only guests who book the entire house have access to it.
This makes it not only one of the smallest casinos in the world but also one of the most exclusive. The lavishly decorated space has blackjack and roulette rooms as well as a stunning poker room hidden behind a velvet curtain.
Desert Cave Hotel, South Australia
Guests at the Desert Cave Hotel have full access to the subterranean gaming room and its poker machines
Casinos don’t get more remote than this one in the Desert Cave Hotel in Coober Pedy, Australia.
It’s 427 miles from the nearest town, Alice Springs.
Visiting the subterranean gaming room has been described as a once-in-the-lifetime opportunity. For a 360-degree tour of the hotel click here.
Macau Palace, Hong Kong
The Macau Palace was visited by Roger Moore as James Bond in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974)
If it was good enough for James Bond, it is good enough for us.
The Macau Palace casino was built on a floating barge in the sea in the Fisherman’s Wharf area of Macau and was visited by Roger Moore as James Bond in The Man With The Golden Gun (1974).
The casino was initially berthed near Rua das Lorchas in the Inner Harbour, but it was moved to the Outer Harbour in 2006 and closed the year after. It was then hauled to the Lam Mau harbour in Fai Chi Kei in 2015.
Rivers Casino, Illinois
Rivers Casino in Illinois sits above a few inches of water in a shallow pit so it complies with state gaming laws
On initial inspection, Rivers Casino in Illinois doesn’t look that unusual.
But the gambling spot, which opened in 2011 and is just minutes from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, actually sits above a few inches of water in a shallow pit.
This quirky design feature is so that the business complies with state gaming laws, which stipulate that casinos must be on rivers or standing water.
Casino di Venezia, Venice
Venice casino sits on the bank of the Grand Canal. It’s one of the few casinos that allows access by boat
This casino, known locally as Ca’ Vendramin Calergi, is on the bank of Venice’s Grand Canal.
Guests are encouraged to arrive by boat and enjoy the red-carpet reception.
The casino was established in 1638, and relocated in the 1950s, which makes it one of the oldest on record.
Casino Jet Lounge, France
Designed for the front of a Boeing 777 plane, the casino lounge sits behind the cockpit but in front of first class
We are all used to watching a movie or eating a three-course meal on a long-haul flight – but how about making your fortune on the roulette table?
A casino for a Boeing 777 has been designed by Airjet Designs and Designescence.
The conceptualised playing lounge, with game tables, a bar and egg-style seating, could soon be a feature on long-haul flights.
Taxi Casino, UK
Grosvenor Casinos created a casino-on-the-go to promote its Play Your Way campaign
Deals on four wheels.
Although no longer on the road, a round-up of the world’s weirdest casinos wouldn’t be complete without a mention of the UK’s taxi casino.
Introduced briefly for a Grosvenor Casinos campaign in 2016, a black cab was kitted out with a gaming table, internet gambling facilities, a bar, televisions screening sport and even a dealer.
People could hail the cab by tweeting it and gamble as they travelled from A to B.