gambling arcade / arcade
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gambling arcade
A commercial establishment where people can play slot machines or other gambling machines. Often also referred to as a Spielothek or casino.
Er hat sein ganzes Geld in der Spielhalle am Bahnhof verspielt.
He gambled away all his money in the gambling arcade at the train station.
The word is made up of 'Spiel' (game/play) and 'Halle' (hall). So it literally describes a hall where you can play games.
Die neue Spielhalle in der Innenstadt ist sehr modern.
The new gambling arcade in the city center is very modern.
Pay attention to the preposition 'in' and the corresponding case. Movement toward the place is expressed with the accusative ('in die Spielhalle' — into/to the gambling arcade), while being at the place requires the dative ('in der Spielhalle' — in the gambling arcade).
Er geht jeden Freitagabend in die Spielhalle.
He goes to the gambling arcade every Friday evening.
When the context is gambling, you can recognize this meaning from words such as 'Geldspielautomaten' (gambling machines), 'Einsatz' (stake), 'Gewinn' (winnings), or 'Geld verspielen' (to gamble away money). This meaning is the most common today.
Der Zutritt zu Spielhallen mit Geldspielautomaten ist erst ab 18 Jahren erlaubt.
Admission to gambling arcades with gambling machines is only allowed from age 18.
You can recognize the older meaning of a hall with video games from the context. Signal words here are 'Jugendliche' (young people), 'Videospiele' (video games), 'Flipper' (pinball), or references to past times such as 'in den 90er Jahren' (in the 90s).
Als Teenager habe ich mein ganzes Taschengeld in die Spielhalle getragen, um dort Videospiele zu spielen.
As a teenager, I spent all my pocket money at the arcade to play video games there.
casino
'das Casino' and 'die Spielhalle' both have to do with games for money. 'das Casino' more often means a casino, often with games like roulette, poker, or other games of chance. 'die Spielhalle' usually means a commercial place with gambling machines. In everyday language, it can sometimes also be called a 'Casino', which is why the words are easy to confuse. Strictly speaking, 'Casino' sounds larger or more official, while 'Spielhalle' is especially used for places with machines. If you mean a casino with table games, 'Casino' is more precise; for many machines, 'Spielhalle' is more natural.
Neben dem Bahnhof hat eine neue Spielhalle mit vielen Automaten geöffnet.
A new gambling arcade with many machines has opened next to the train station.
Am Wochenende besuchen sie ein Casino und schauen beim Roulette zu.
At the weekend, they visit a casino and watch the roulette.