Monte Carlo Casino during COVID-19

During our day trip to Monaco, part of our family journey around the world, Jon took an hour to visit the inside of the Monte Carlo Casino.  Here is Jon’s trip report for visiting the Monte Carlo Casino during COVID-19:

First of all, Goldeneye is clearly the best James Bond movie of all time.  It has a great scene of Bond pulling up in his Aston Martin to the Monte Carlo Casino.  He valet parks, strolls inside, sharply dressed in a tux, wins a huge baccarat hand amid a bustling casino, then drinks a vodka martini, shaken not stirred.  Jon’s experience was kind of like that, except it was different in every way.  Here is a ridiculous report for how Jon’s visit to the casino matched up to Bond’s:

Arrival to the casino

• Bond pulls up in an Aston Martin, valet parks, strolls directly through the doors.
• Jon is a little sweaty from the walk around Port Hercule from the aquarium with the kids, stops to show his passport and EU digital COVID-19 passport, pays €17 for a ticket, and he’s in!

Attire

• Bond is a bit of a show-off, sharply dressed with the tux and bow tie.
• Jon is “smartly” (see what I did there, it’s smart to have packed what Jon did for a trip around the world🙂 dressed in an untucked Ironman polo, convertible cargo hiking pants, and trail running shoes.
• Both have hair coming over their ears.

Reception from the casino

• They welcome Bond to a high stakes baccarat table and clearly approve him to gamble whatever amount he desires.
• Jon was grateful to be let through the doors in his hiking gear and given a €10 credit for slot machines. Yes, this is included as part of the €17 paid entry to the casino.

Casino floor

• Bond rubs elbows with the wealthy and well dressed amid the bustle around his high stakes table.
• Jon walked the entire casino 2 times trying to figure out where the people were at. 3 total table games were open, each with a solitary gambler, 2 total people playing slots, and 1 couple having a drink. That’s all, folks.
• Apparently the casino is different on a Tuesday afternoon at 3:15 and a nighttime movie shoot with James Bond.

In the casino

• Bond orders a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, and one for the lady. He didn’t even ask how much they cost!
• Jon gawked at the menu, laughed at the thought of a €19 martini, which he would hate anyways, and chatted with a casino employee about how to redeem his €10 credit. It would have been difficult to drink a martini through a mask anyways.
• Several of the side rooms were roped off as “private”. One of those things where if you have to ask, it isn’t for Jon.

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Beating the casino

• Bond clearly wins a major hand of high-stakes baccarat. However, it seems like he took Xenia’s money, not the casino’s. It did seem really easy to win.
• Jon has no idea what baccarat is or whose money Bond really won. However, Jon had to use his €10 slot machine credit, and turned it into €50 at the James Bond slot machine!

Joking now aside, plan to have realistic expectations for visiting the Monte Carlo Casino during COVID-19 on a weekday afternoon. Jon is not a gambler, at all, but would have had fun playing a hand of blackjack with budgeted entertainment money. However, that wasn’t even an option. Of the 3 open table games, Blackjack was not one.

Jon’s advice: if you are in Monaco and want to spend a few minutes inside the actual casino, it’s probably worth paying the  €17 admission fee, because you get €10 back in the form of casino credit. You can also use the credit at the bar, making the martini only €9, what a steal! The casino is cool to look at but is one of the rare times that it would be a whole lot better if it had people filling it. The dress code isn’t specific, but says “proper attire required”. Jon hates ambiguity like that, but if they let him in, you should be good too. The afternoon dress code does seem to have more laxity than you should expect on a weekend night.

Overall, a trip to the Monte Carlo Casino during COVID-19 was still fun. Temper your expectations from what you’ve seen in Goldeneye, wear your mask, show your COVID-19 pass, and enjoy having the casino to yourself.

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If you have questions or thoughts on the rediculous summary of events, let us know! 😂