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This article will discuss the past, the present and the future of Casino di Campione d’Italia. We’ll start with a brief review of the recovery plan for the next 5 years. Then we will dive deep into the history of the casino, telling you about its original building and the remodelled record-breaking colossus build in 2007.
Is Casino di Campione Italy Reopening in 2021?
Three years ago, in 2018, after Campione Casino closed because it failed to honour its financial obligations to the authorities in Campione, Como province, it went bankrupt. This threw 500 casino employees and another 300 in affiliated businesses out of work. For a town with fewer than 2,000 people where the casino was a main source of income, this was catastrophic. The mayor quit, the nursery closed down, and many pensioners were forced to turn to food banks because the municipality had to cut their monthly stipends.
What led to this downward spiral? Shortly put, it was competition and the rise of online gambling. New laws gave the green light to slots in bars and cafes, three large Swiss casinos opened doors nearby, and online gambling became more and more popular. The casino’s profits gradually fell until it racked up millions in debt until it was too expensive for the municipality to keep it open. Two giant banners opposite the Campione Casino closed doors read “SOS Campione is dead” and “Rien ne va plus” – the French for “no more bets”, a sad illustration of the situation in the Italian enclave.
The recovery plan of Casino Municiplae di Campione d’Italia for the next 5 years comes after a Supreme Court ruling from last December, which has declared the casino not bankrupt. This means that an arrangement plan could be settled. As a first step, Casino Municiplae di Campione d’Italia will start with a significantly downsized team. There will be 174 employees that will be progressively increased to 280 in the next 5 years.
- Step 1: Downsizing the team
- Step 2: Outsourcing non-core functions
- Step 3: Repaying the creditors
Another important change in the management, which aims at cutting costs, will be outsourcing all non-core functions such as event organisations, catering, and marketing. In the first year of operation, the gaming revenue is planned to reach 41 million euros and go up to 80 million in the fifth year. In 2017, before Campione Casino closed doors, the gaming revenue was up to 91 million euros, so this should be a feasible task.
The final step would be repaying the accumulated 130-million-euro debt. The recovery plan foresees 100% full repayment to the privileged creditors, i.e., the Revenue Agency, the Treasury, and the employees. 60% will be repaid to the unsecured creditors, i.e., banks, suppliers, and creditors. The instalment plan does not provide for any payments to the Municipality of Campione in the first 5 years. The proposal will have to pass a hearing by the Bankruptcy Board before it’s implemented. Casino di Campione Italy is expected to reopen by September 2021.
History of Casino di Campione d’Italia
Historically, this is not the first time Casino di Campione Italy has faced adversity. The original casino was built in 1917, but since it was just a cover for espionage during WWI, Campione Casino closed its doors soon after in 1919. It was not until 1933 that it opened again. That same year, Benito Mussolini added d’Italia to the town’s name to assert its Italian ownership, and the casino followed suit. Casino Municipale di Campione d’Italia was owned by the government and operated by the municipality.
A law was passed in 1933, which is valid to this day. It decreed that the casino proceeds would cover the costs of operating the enclave and all municipal costs. This was purely aimed at protecting Campione d’Italia. For years the town prospered from its golden goose. The casino provided a steady cash flow and jobs for every other inhabitant of the one-square-kilometre sovereign Italian territory. But over time, the municipality had become too reliant on its biggest revenue generator.
| ®️ Name | Casino Municipale di Campione d’Italia |
| 📍 Address | Piazzale Milano, 2, 22060 Campione d’Italia CO, Italy |
| 📅 Established | 1917 |
| 🏗️ Original Design by | Amerigo Marazzi |
| 🚧 Remodelled | 2007 |
| 🆕 New Design By | Mario Botta |
| 🚫 Closed | 2018 |
| 📐 Size | 55,000 square metres |
| 🎰 Number of Games | 56 tables, 500 slot machines |
| 🎉 Reopening Scheduled | September 2021 |
| 🥇 Best Italian Casino | Unibet |
In 2007, after seven years of construction and $160 million, a brand new, 55,000-square-metre, yellow-block casino, replaced the old building, which was later demolished. It was made up of modernistic blocks towering 9 floors high with 3 additional parking levels underground. The colossus, designed by the renowned Swiss architect Mario Botta, could accommodate 3,100 gamblers at a time, offering them 56 tables and more than 500 (some say 1000) slots.
But the timing was awful. It coincided with three major events – the rise of online gambling, the 2008 financial crisis and the drop in the euro’s value. Casino Campione closed after 11 years, and this shook the town to the core.
Casino di Campione in Italy was the biggest casino in Europe, some people even claim it was the oldest one, but we know for sure Casino di Venezia is almost two centuries older.
Campione is one of the four towns in Italy to have a licence for operating a casino. This was one of the must-sees for any gambler in Italy. Today your best option would be visiting a casino in Venice.
Campione Casino Poker & Other Games
Although the selection of games at Casino di Campione d’Italia included roulette, chemin de fer, baccarat, blackjack, and slots, it was most popular for the Casino Campione poker tournaments held on a regular basis. The casino hosted the WSOP International Circuit on 5 occasions between 2015 and 2018. Campione Casino poker rooms were highly rated by international players and well-attended.
Recommended Online Casinos for Italian Players
Since you will have to wait a bit more before you take that eccentric holiday to Campione and splurge on their casino games, we’ll give you the next best thing – our collection of some of the best casinos in the world.
But that’s not all. If you’re Italian or visiting the beautiful country of Italy, you can take advantage of our carefully selected online casinos that accept Italian players and reward them with excellent bonuses by checking our shortlist of the the best online casinos in Italy for 2024.
Since we aim to be a trustworthy advisor to our readers, we evaluate the casinos using an extensive set of criteria. We take into account many factors like safety, licensing, bonus policy, transaction processing times and many more. Our careful research has shown that the online operators on our site are all great alternatives to Casino Municipale di Campione d’Italia.
FAQ
We hope that our article was able to satisfy your curiosity about this iconic landmark. Casino Municipale di Campione d’Italia is a great place to visit even though it’s closed for the moment. The town of Campione is a magical place with its winding roads and palm trees. But if you really want to gamble in a land-based Italian casino and you don’t want to spend days looking for a casino in Rome Italy, you should definitely check out our dedicated article. For all Campione related questions, here’s our short FAQ.
