Casino da Póvoa

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Casino da Póvoa.

Largo do Casino (Casino Square).

Casino da Póvoa (Póvoa Casino) is a casino located in Póvoa de Varzim, near Porto, in Portugal.

Póvoa de Varzim was a Porto's upper-class beach resort in the 19th century, before the popularization of sea baths and sun baths by the general population, and a prominent site for illegal gambling, with seventeen illicit casinos, frequently in the backdoors of cafés and pubs, the most famous of which was Café Chinês ("Chinese Café"), known in Portugal for its exotic decoration and Spanish dancers. Others were Café Suíço ("Swiss Café"), Café David ("David Café"), Café Universal ("Universal Café"), and Luso-Brasileiro ("Portuguese-Brazilian"). Camilo Castelo Branco recurrently visited Póvoa de Varzim often to gamble.

The legalization of gambling in the city arrived in early 20th century, and the construction of Póvoa Casino started in February 28, 1930 when a European neo-classic building started being built. The casino opened the doors four years later and soon started to be seen as the biggest and most famous casino in northern Portugal. The hotel for the casino was built next to it, in Passeio Alegre Square.

[edit] Ownership and administration

Casino da Póvoa is owned by Varzim-Sol (its major shareholder is Estoril-Sol), a company majority-owned by Chinese gambling king Stanley Ho and Amorim group.