Casinò di Campione

The Casinò di Campione was Europe's oldest casino,[1][2] as well as the largest employer in the municipality of Campione d'Italia, an Italian exclave within Switzerland's Canton of Ticino, on the shores of Lake Lugano. The casino was founded in 1917 as a site to gather information from foreign diplomats during the First World War. It was owned by the Italian government, and operated by the municipality. The income from the casino was sufficient for the operation of Campione without the imposition of taxes, or obtaining of other revenue.[3] It was Europe’s largest casino.[4]

The casino, seen from the lake
The casino at night

In 2007, the casino moved into new premises, designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta. The new premises provided a floor space of more than 55,000 square metres (590,000 sq ft) on 9 floors with 3 further levels of underground parking, giving the casino space for 56 tables and 500 slot machines. The new building was built alongside the old one, which dated from 1933 and has since been demolished.[3][5]

The casino was illuminated by night, and the building is clearly visible across the lake from the city waterfront of Lugano. It offered roulette, chemin de fer, baccarat, black jack, poker, and slot machines.[6]

The casino became prominent in the news in 2006 when the son of the last king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, was accused of procuring girls for prostitution to be sent to clients of the casino.[3]

The casino was declared bankrupt on 27 July 2018 and is currently closed.[2]

See also

References
  1. Il casinò di Campione d'Italia è fallito
  2. Vogt, Andrea (2019-01-27). "Closure of Europe's oldest casino leaves Italy's historic Como exclave in crisis". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  3. Frank Jacobs (May 15, 2012). "Enclave-Hunting in Switzerland". The New York Times.
  4. "Losing streak". The Economist. 2013-09-21. ISSN 0013-0613. Retrieved 2018-12-16.
  5. "Casinó Campione d'Italia". Arounder. VRWAY Communication. Retrieved 2012-10-16.
  6. "Games". Casinò di Campione. Retrieved 2012-10-16.

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