WHY CASINOS LOVE AND FEAR BACCARAT, THE WORLD'S BIGGEST GAMBLING GAME
The number one casino game in the world is a bit of a mystery to many American casino-goers. Baccarat traces its history to the gambling salons of Italy and France, but within the past thirty years its rise in casinos—mostly in Asia but increasingly in the United States—has made it a game that casino managers and gamblers alike are flocking to. How big is baccarat worldwide? Casinos in Macau have, since they dethroned Las Vegas in 2006, made more money than those in any other city in the world. Last year, Macau’s 40 casinos made more than 88 percent of their $33.2 billion from baccarat. Singapore casinos likewise get much of their revenue from the game, and even on the Las Vegas Strip—where many visitors don’t even know the rules of the game—it accounts for 18 percent of total casino win. The only game that produces more win for Strip casinos is slots, and there considerably more slot machines in Las Vegas than baccarat tables. Bill Zender, a former Nevada Gaming Control Agent, casin