Casinò Lugano

The first gaming room in Lugano dates back to 1804, the games were: “biribisso”, “bassetta” and dice. In 1885 the Lugano Theatre was founded, a building used for music and theatrical performances, dance parties and shows with the addition of cafés and restaurants.

In 1912 it obtained the licence for small games and in 1922 the name was changed to Casino and Theatre Kursaal. In 1970 the Municipality became the main shareholder; 22 years later slot machines were introduced in addition to the traditional “boule”.

In 1993 “big games” were introduced in Switzerland and the gaming house obtained the type “A” licence until, on 29th November 2002, Casinò Lugano SA opened its doors. The current shareholding of Casinò Lugano is: 67% by the City Hall, 29% by Casinos Austria Swiss and the rest by some small private shareholders.

2014 saw the first restyling and 2018, after the closure of the nearby Casinò Campione, saw the second one, which represented the final stage of this extraordinary history dating back 200 years.