Las Vegas and Macau may be the first places that spring to mind when most people think of casinos, but Europe is also host to a large number of gaming establishments, from the luxurious Casino De Monte-Carlo in Monaco, to Resorts World mega-casino in Birmingham. But which country is home to the largest number of casinos per capita?
16. United Kingdom
The UK is the birthplace of one of the world’s most famous gamblers, James Bond, as well as home to a number of globally recognised casinos from the exclusive Clermont Casino in London to Birmingham’s Resorts World mega-casino. And with some of the continent’s most liberal gambling laws, the UK is houses 156 land-based casinos, which is one for about every 425,000 of the country’s 67 million population. Whilst only 16th on this list, the UK’s Gambling Commission also regulates some of the world’s largest online gambling firms from Bet365 to Novibet.
15. Slovakia
A landlocked country in Central Europe, the Slovak Republic is a mountainous territory bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the southwest, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. 13 casinos are located within the Slovak borders, which is one for every 420,000 people.
14. Ireland
Ireland is famous for the dramatic coastlines, wet weather, warm welcomes and Guinness, but the northern European country is also home to one of the highest number of casinos per capita in the continent thanks to a legal loophole. Public casinos are officially banned under Irish gambling regulations, but there are 12 so-called “private gambling clubs” in the country, where members can play poker, blackjack, and roulette – which would make them casinos by another name. With a population of just under five million people, Ireland has one casino for every 415,000 people.
13. Switzerland
Switzerland is perhaps best known for its secretive banking system where global elites have stored their wealth for generations, but it is also a place for those very same people to gamble with 21 land-based casinos and a population of 8.5 million, which means there is around one casino for every 400,000 people.
12. France
Gambling has grown significantly more popular in France over recent years, with the country currently home to 200 casinos, one for every 335,000 people.
11. North Macedonia
North Macedonia has one of the smallest populations of any European nation with just over two million residents, but with seven casinos the former Yugoslavian territory holds the title for the most casinos per capita in the continent with one casino for every 295,000 people.
10. Slovenia
Slovenia is a central European country famed for its mountains, ski resorts, and lakes. It is also home to ten casinos, one for every 200,000 citizens.
9. Latvia
Latvia is a northern European country with beautiful wide beaches and dense, sprawling forests. The former Soviet country has seven casinos, so with an estimated population of 1,886,198 that is one casino for ever 269,000 residents.
8. Estonia
Neighbouring Latvia, Estonia borders the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland and includes more than 1,500 islands. Formerly part of the Soviet Union, Estonia is now part of the European Union and has become a technology and digital hub. It is also home to six casinos that offer traditional table games like poker and blackjack, which is one for every 221,000 people.
7. Montenegro
Montenegro is a Balkan country with rugged mountain terrain, medieval villages and a narrow strip of beaches along its Adriatic coastline. The former Yugoslavian state has five casinos and a population of 628,066, which is one for around every 125,000 people.
6. Malta
Malta is an island archipelago in the central Mediterranean situated between Sicily and the North African coast, with its location making it both a hub for trade and a target for invasion for thousands of years from the Romans to the British. According to the last census, the islands have 441,543 inhabitants and with four land-based casinos, that is one casino for every 110,000 people. The Malta Gaming Authority also licenses 280 remote gambling websites and other services, making the country one of the most influential gambling markets in the world.
5. Albania
Situated on South-eastern Europe’s Balkan Peninsula, Albania is a small country blessed with beautiful beaches on the Adriatic and Ionian coastlines and an interior crossed by the Albanian Alps, and is home to a number of picturesque medieval castles. The country houses 51 casinos, which is one for every 56,000 citizens.
4. Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the east. The country is made up of is made up of the historical lands of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia, and is possibly the most difficult to rank on this list as it does not differentiate between betting shops and casinos, with 299 gambling establishments and a population of 10.7 million, which is one establishment for every 35,785 people.
3. San Marino
San Marino has the smallest population of any state in Europe with only 33,931 people living there. But with one casino situated within its borders, that also gives the mountainous microstate one of the highest number of casinos per capita in the region.
2. Liechtenstein
Liechtenstein is a tiny German-speaking, 25km-long principality situated between Austria and Switzerland that is known for its stunning alpine landscapes and impressive medieval castles. It is also home to three casinos, making it one casino for every 12,709 people.
1. Monaco
The Principality of Monaco is a sovereign city-state on the French Riviera close to the Italian region of Liguria and bordered by France to the north, east and west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the south. The microstate has become a byword for luxury and with a population of just 39,242 and four casinos, the Casino de Monte Carlo, the Casino Café de Paris, the Sun Casino and the Monte-Carlo Bay Casino, it is the most casino-dense place in Europe with one casino per every 9811 people.