The oldest casino in the world, the Casino di Venezia, sits on the Grand Canal in Venice. Opened in 1638, it was originally a theatre called the Theatre Saint Moses, which had a wing for gambling during the intermissions of plays. It helped spark the start of a casino craze in Venice by 1744, there were more than 120.

The Venice Casino was founded in 1638 and is recognized as the oldest gaming house in the world. The first Venetian gambling house, the Ridotto di San Mois, was founded in 1638. At the end of the 1930s, the Venice Casino was inaugurated at the Lido.