Gambling is a risky game of chance that results in an uncertain outcome, but we love it! People from around the world spend thousands visiting casinos to take care of that urge of wanting to gamble. Trying to run a casino is very similar to gambling. Sometimes it pays off, and sometimes it won’t. Some casinos see amazing runs, but the luck eventually wears off. Here are ten casinos that crapped out and were left abandoned.
Related: 10 Abandoned Places Being Reclaimed By Nature
10 Penthouse Adriatic Club
In 1967, Yugoslavia opened its borders, and new laws allowed the existence of gambling and casinos for international visitors (locals were not allowed to gamble). This led to the construction of the Penthouse Adriatic Club at the Haludovo Palace Hotel on the Croatian island Krk. Penthouse magazine founder Bob Guccione dumped $45 million into the project in hopes of attracting international travelers to visit the casino.
The hotel complex opened on July 15, 1972. Penthouse “pets” served as hostesses to the visitors of the extravagant hotel. It didn’t take long to realize that there was money trouble because the locals couldn’t gamble, and the Western world wasn’t embracing the resort. The casino was bankrupt by the beginning of 1973. The resort was later transferred to a local enterprise, where it would see its last profitable year in 1990. The resort hosted its last visitors in 2001, and the buildings have been neglected since.[1]
9 Constanta Casino
Sitting high above the banks of the Black Sea in Constanta, Romania, is the once-popular Constanta Casino. In the early 1900s, it was one of the most popular establishments of its kind, and the wealthy from all over the world frequented the casino. Unfortunately, during World War I, the casino transformed into a hospital, and ten people were killed when the building was damaged by bombings.
The building was remodeled but was again bombed during World War II. The end of the war left the casino abandoned. The casino was eventually renovated by the communist government to be used as a House of Culture, but in 1960 it was handed to the National Office of Tourism. Repairs were made to the casino in the 1980s, but it was abandoned until recently, when renovations started again.[2]
8 Montgomery Pass Casino
The Montgomery Pass is a high mountain pass in Nevada with an elevation of 7,167 feet. Located near the curvy, mountainous road was a small casino that claimed to be the “world’s highest casino.” The Montgomery Pass Casino was once an entertainment oasis that fueled the small town’s economy. The casino also housed a thriving motel and restaurant for visitors.
The buildings of the casino have been abandoned since the 1990s when gambling began to decline. In 2010, most of the casino burned down. The remains of the casino now look like a ghost town with empty rooms and retro slot machines and gambling tables that sit in the area where the casino once thrived.[3]
7 Casino di Consonno
Just outside of Milan sits the ghost town of Consonno. Entrepreneur Mario Bagno bought all the land in the village and forced everyone out so he could build the “City of Toys.” The city was to be filled with restaurants, shopping malls, a hotel, and a casino that would resemble Las Vegas. Many of the buildings were almost finished when the main road to the town was washed away. This kept customers from visiting the town and put a halt to the project.
The abandoned casino and town are now decaying after decades of neglect. The town has undergone a few attempts at being remodeled, but nothing has been successful. Busted windows, trash, and graffiti are all to be found. Visitors can access the city through public roads or walking, but many of the properties are private.[4]
6 Jubilation Riverboat Casino
The Jubilation Riverboat Casino was originally known as the SS Nantucket and first set sail back in 1957. The ferry ship ran from New Bedford, Massachusetts, to Nantucket. Years later, the ship was renamed the SS Naushon and was the last steam-powered ship in operation on the east coast before finding its new home in Mississippi.
The ship found new life on the Mississippi River, where it became the Cotton Club Riverboat Casino. The casino was open to gamblers in 1993, and bets were placed as the ship traveled along the river. The ship would soon find a new home in Lakeshore, Mississippi, where it became the Jubilation Casino. By this time, the ship wasn’t holding up too well, even after $1.5 million was invested into it for remodeling. The casino shut down in 1995, leaving the ship vacant with decaying interiors and scattered slot machines.[5]
5 Kings Inn Casino
The Kings Inn Casino in Reno, Nevada, saw short-lived success. Reno hit a casino boom in the 1970s, which led to the opening of several new casinos. However, there were not enough locals or tourists to keep the bets coming in. The Kings Inn Casino was just one of the many casualties of this time.
After closing in the ’80s, the building was boarded up and left abandoned. After many years of just sitting vacant, the building was purchased in 2014 with new plans that would make the building “fit for a king” again. The building is now home to high-end apartment units spread out among seven floors, with retail units on the ground floor.[6]
4 Key Largo Casino and Hotel
In 1974, the Ambassador Inn opened in Las Vegas, and a casino was added to the property one year later. The property swapped hands and changed names numerous times over the next 20 years, but in 1997 the property became the Key Largo Casino and Hotel. A $7 million renovation gave the casino and hotel a south Florida theme and was made up of 248 slot machines, three table games, and 320 rooms. There were also plans to eventually expand the casino and add a hotel tower, but the cheap rooms and food eventually lost their appeal and the doors closed to the casino and hotel in 2005.
The property would sit abandoned for years after shutting down. In 2008, a man started a small fire in the empty building after attempting to steal copper wire while the power was still live. A larger fire broke out in 2013, which caused more than $4.5 million in damages, and the cause of the fire was suggested to be arson. The casino and hotel were demolished months later.[7]
3 Asbury Park Casino
The Asbury Park Casino and Carousel House were located south of the boardwalk in Asbury Park, New Jersey. The casino was just part of the entertainment complex, along with an arcade, concessions, and various rides. The district saw lots of success, but by the 1980s, the district was officially dead. Many of the buildings in the area were left abandoned, and the carousel was sold and moved to Myrtle Beach.
The casino building, along with other structures, still stands empty and reminds visitors of a busier time. The buildings look more haunted now, but the small town is working on a comeback. The Carousel House has seen small renovations, including new gates and a new roof, and serves as a venue for local bands. A mini skate park with a mini bowl has been installed inside the Carousel House, thanks to Red Bull and a local developing company.[8]
2 Big Easy Casino Boat
The New Orleans-themed ship boasted a 30,000-square-foot casino consisting of card tables, roulette wheel, dice games, and slot machines after a $12 million remodel in Jacksonville, Florida. The Big Easy Casino Boat arrived at the Port of St. Petersburg as a temporary stop later than expected due to modifications and a rough hurricane season.
The owners would file for bankruptcy shortly after, causing the ship to stay at the port until 2010. The ship was then moved to Tampa to be remodeled into a new casino, but it was once again halted and eventually was demolished to be sold as scrap metal to help recuperate the costs.[9]
1 Bokor Palace Hotel and Casino
The Bokor Palace Hotel and Casino was built in the 1920s in Cambodia and first started as a resort for French colonialists. The hotel was quickly added to the resort at the mountainous location. Due to the tough labor that was involved in building the resort in the remote mountains, more than 900 workers lost their lives during construction. The First Indochina War spoiled the fun for everyone on the mountain as the hotel had to serve as a hospital.
The resort and hotel were resurrected in 1962 with new buildings, including a casino. The casino, also known as Old Casino on Bokor Mountain, closed a short two years later when several visitors committed suicide off the mountain after their gambling habits cost them everything. Political instability kept the hotel and casino from opening over the years, and it was left abandoned in the ’90s. The large vacant building was ghostly as it sat alone on top of the mountain, and the locals claimed spirits of those who lost their lives during construction occupied the building. A few years ago, the property was purchased, and the owners remodeled the hotel with 36 luxurious rooms and added a few restaurants for visitors to enjoy.[10]
