How Sanremo Casino Continues to Flourish as a Gaming Hotspot

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Last Updated on 2021/03/01

Sanremo Casino has changed a lot over the past few decades.

Its official name is Casinò Municipale di Sanremo, and it’s located along the historic Italian Riviera.

Even in the beginning, the Sanremo Casino was a venue for much more than just gaming. For instance, during its inauguration on January 14, 1905, a charity banquet was thrown by the casino managers in cooperation with the city. This was followed by an evening gala concert featuring the Marche et Coeur from Wagner’s Tannhauser, Bizet’s ouverture de l’Atride, the Handel Judas Macchabèe Choir, and other classical compositions which were highly regarded at the time.

Decades after the casino served as a venue for both traditional gaming as well as operatic and theatrical performances. Having been designed in the Art Nouveau style by French architect, and the Sanremo Casino’s first manager, Eugene Ferret, the building was perfectly suited for competing with the French Riviera during the heyday of grand, luxurious European casino gaming. Back in the roaring ’30s, its clientele included the likes of Francesco Cilea, Umberto Giordano, Franco Alfano, and many other prestigious Italian artists. It also served as the perfect place for travellers to meet somewhere near the famed Riviera.

Since its inception, the casino has grown into a gaming and entertainment complex – one that’s been open to changes that can better cater to modern audiences. Gioco News reports how recent innovations and investments have allowed Sanremo to come out strong last year despite fluctuations during the first half of 2018. They also note how early last year, the Sanremo city council approved the casino’s three-year business plan. This includes a tunnel connecting the Sanremo Casino to the Corso Matteotti.

It is this flexibility towards modern gaming that allows Sanremo Casino to continue to thrive. Despite the current global popularity of online casinos, the most recent data reveals that Sanremo has performed the best out of the four remaining casinos in Italy. In fact, even though the visitor count was down by 5.32% last March, Inter Game Online reports that the casino had a turnover of €3.5 million which represents a 7.37% increase from the previous month’s figures. French roulette grew 2.8% at a revenue of €218,237, while the best-performing attraction was the slot machines which raked in €2.86 million – up 9.01% from last month.

Much of this can be attributed to the social aspect of visiting a land-based physical casino, a somewhat dwindling but clearly still relevant activity for adult gamers. This is despite the fact that the online casinos are very quickly catching up in terms of attracting customers. Sandlot Games details how every type of game offered in physical casinos are now available on desktop and mobile devices. This shift to digital casinos has made gaming infinitely more convenient than having to visit a physical casino. While digital gaming options are not as social as actual casinos – even after the advent of live online casino dealers – the convenience that online casinos offer has allowed them to take a huge slice of the market. However, the Sanremo Casino’s success shows that physical casinos can still thrive. This is because while online casinos can replicate the games, they can’t replicate the atmosphere and elegance of playing in a heritage building like the Sanremo Casino.

It should come as no surprise that the 100-year-old building still promises and delivers a good time, especially as Italians were the first to come up with the concept of the modern casino. If you are looking for other places to visit along the Italian Riviera, the Cinque Terre has many beautiful spots.

Image source: wikimedia

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