Casinò Lugano (formerly known as Teatro Kursaal) is a casino and theatre designed by Italian architect Achille Sfondrini in 1804. It is located in the city of

Lugano Lugano (, , ; lmo, label=Ticinese dialect, Ticinese, Lugan ) is a city and municipality in Switzerland, part of the Lugano District in the canton of Ticino. It is the largest city of both Ticino and the Italian-speaking southern Switzerland. Luga ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

. A restaurant and café called ''Elementi Ristorante'' is located within the building. The theatre was the host venue of the first

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

in .

History

games room A recreation room (also known as a rec room, rumpus room, play room, playroom, games room, or ruckus room) is a room used for a variety of purposes, such as parties, games and other everyday or casual activities. The term ''recreation room'' is c ...

with a café to open in Lugano.

Biriba Biriba (Greek: Μπιρίμπα) is the Greek partnership version of a rummy card game of Italian origin called Pinnacola. The Greek name comes probably from the Italian game Biribara, or Biribisso, or Biribi, even if this game is totally differe ...

Basset Bassets are a sub- type of scenthound deliberately bred with short legs, that are used for hunting where the hunters accompany the hunting hounds on foot. History Bassets were originally developed in France from where they spread throughout Europ ...

, and

dice games Dice games are games that use or incorporate one or more dice as their sole or central component, usually as a random device. The following are games which largely, if not entirely, depend on dice: Collectible dice games Patterned after the su ...

were played in the establishment during the autumn fair. Upon the establishment of the Lugano Theatre Society in 1885, which consisted of 177

shareholder A shareholder (in the United States often referred to as stockholder) of a corporation is an individual or legal entity (such as another corporation, a body politic, a trust or partnership) that is registered by the corporation as the legal own ...

s, discussions were held to modify the building for the intended purpose of theatrical and musical performances, ballroom dance and other shows. Plans were made to accommodate a café and restaurant adjacent to the main theatre. In 1912, the theatre acquired a gambling license. The society changed its name to Società del Teatro e Casinò Kursaal di Lugano in 1922. The Kursaal continued to increase its revenue after the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. In 1946 the Kursaal broke its own financial record, accumulating 641,777 Swiss francs (equivalent of €558,558.65 US$811,018.50 or £519,190.25 ) after staging operas, plays, concerts and films. On 24 May 1956, Kursaal was the host venue of the very first

. The gambling stakes for playing were raised, from 2 Swiss Francs to 5 Swiss Francs, after a shareholders' vote in 1959. The city of Lugano became the major shareholder in 1970 after its purchase of 184 shares. Following the ordinance of the Swiss Federal banking commission changes,

fruit machine A slot machine (American English), fruit machine (British English) or poker machine ( Australian English and New Zealand English) is a gambling machine that creates a game of chance for its customers. Slot machines are also known pejoratively ...

s and

boules ''Boules'' () is a collective name for a wide range of games similar to bowls and bocce (In French: jeu or jeux, in Croatian: boćanje and in Italian: gioco or giochi) in which the objective is to throw or roll heavy balls (called in France, ...

were brought into the Kursaal. The fundamental principles were amended in 1993 to allow major games to be played on the premises. This license was later upgraded, to permit the company to operate as a casino. The theatre closed shortly after the last show in April 1997 and was demolished in 2001 to make room for the extension of the Casino. Casinò Lugano opened again on 29 November 2002. Casinò Lugano has received an extension to its permit to also manage casino games online and has conceived the Swiss4Win brand for its entry into the online Swiss market.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Casino Lugano

Music in Lugano Music venues in Switzerland Buildings and structures in Ticino Culture in Lugano Lugano it:Teatro Kursaal (Lugano)