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The Casino Municipale di Campione was a major employer in Campione d’Italia, an Italian overseas territory within Switzerland’s Canton of Ticino on the beaches of Lake Lugano. During World War I, the casino was established as a location to receive intelligence from foreign diplomats.
The Italian government owned it, and the municipality ran it. The casino’s earnings were adequate to keep Campione running without the imposition of taxes or the acquisition of other sources of revenue. It was the largest casino in Europe. On July 27, 2018, the casino declared bankruptcy and is now shuttered.
The Overview of Casino Municipale di Campione
The casino relocated to new premises designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta in 2007. The new casino had a floor size of more than 55,000 square metres (590,000 sq ft) on 9 floors, with 3 additional levels of basement parking, and could accommodate 56 tables and 500 slot machines.
The new structure was built alongside the old one, which was constructed in 1933 and has since been dismantled.
The casino was illuminated at night, and the structure can be seen across the lake from Lugano’s downtown shoreline. Roulette, chemin de fer, baccarat, blackjack, poker, and slot machines were all available.
The casino made headlines in 2006 when the son of Italy’s last king, Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, was accused of obtaining girls for prostitution and sending them to casino guests.
A Brief History of Casino Municipale di Campione
The first Municipal Casino of Campione was established in 1917, in the midst of World War I; it lasted two years until closing on July 19, 1919. A few years later, on March 2, 1933, it reopened permanently. Its 80th anniversary was celebrated in 2013.
There was talk of the casino in 2006, when Vittorio Emanuele di Savoia, the son of Italy’s last king, was accused of criminal alliance for laundering money through the structure, an accusation from which he was acquitted because “the fact does not exist,” according to the conducting an investigation judge of the Court of Rome.
The new facility was dedicated on May 9, 2007, in the close proximity of the first headquarters.
The Swiss architect Mario Botta completed the project for a general business cost of roughly 140 million Swiss francs and a total cost of approximately 193 million Swiss francs.
The 9-story, 55,000-square-meter tower was built in the spaces adjacent to the existing one and is plainly visible from all across the lake on which it stands, thanks to innovative and unique red lighting systems.
Despite the illustrious hallmark, critics dubbed the new headquarters a “eco-monster” as soon as it was shown due to its intimidating angular volume.
The Bankruptcy of Casino of Campione
The casino was declared bankrupt by the Como Court on July 27, 2018. The Como prosecutor filed the bankruptcy petition as a result of the casino’s incapacity to pay fees due to the Municipality of Campione, the casino’s sole shareholder, inflicting financial suffering.
Following the town hall’s millions in debt, prosecutor Pasquale Addesso requested the gaming house’s bankruptcy. Debts were €132 million as of 30 April 2018, with the municipality owing €22 million.
The collective dismissal of 109 employees out of 492 was defined by the mayor of the enclave Roberto Salmoiraghi and the sole administrator Marco Ambrosini as a “deed due in response to the bankruptcy petition requested by the Como Public Prosecutor’s Office” at the start of the year.
The casino’s bankruptcy was followed in 2018 by the municipality declaring financial distress, the resignation of four councilors and the subsequent dissolution of the city council elected in 2017.
The appointment of an extraordinary liquidation body and a prefectural commissioner, and the further dismissal of 86 of the municipality’s 102 employees, all of which had a significant negative impact on the resident population.
The Administrative Regional Court (TAR) [it; de] first suspended the ruling, which was affirmed by the Council of State in June 2019. Then, that is Casino Municipale di Campione as one of the Casinos in Italy.
