The Sanremo Casino became the first gambling house in Italy in 1905, where the City of Flowers took over the license from La Sultana Villa owned by Ospedaletti, who had been exercising it since 1884. It was designed in liberty style by the French architect Eugéne Ferret. In the Belle Époque it was the place where to spend the days among various entertainments for the rich, especially foreign, guests. Gambling was tolerated at that time. In the roaring ‘30s, the city established itself internationally because the fascist Government, which had banned gambling, authorized the town to practice it legally in the Municipal Casino. This was done especially to stand comparison with the French Riviera.
The gambling house also became a point of reference for culture and entertainment, thanks to consultants such as Pietro Mascagni, Luigi Pirandello and Francesco Pastonchi, who created the Literary Mondays (today Tuesdays). After the II World War, Sanremo relied on Casinos to restart. On January 29, 1951, in the Banquet Hall the Italian Song Festival took place via radio. Later the Banquet Hall was remodelled and today a total of 484 slot-machines can be found in its interior. On the first floor there are rooms dedicated to the traditional French and American games, where it’s possible to relive the emotions of the great people who attended them: Eduardo and Peppino De Filippo, Vittorio De Sica, King Gustavo of Sweden, King Leopold of Belgium, the Ranieri Prince, Grace of Monaco and King Faruq of Egypt.
