After three and a half years the Casino di Campione d’Italia reopens. A Friday evening with an attendance beyond all expectations, as confirmed by the CEO of the Casino and the mayor of Campione d’Italia, with very positive forecasts for the rest of the weekend for the gambling house in the Italian exclave in Switzerland, reopened on Wednesday after 3 and a half years of closure due to bankruptcy.
The new Course
“Those who come will find something completely different, with hyper-technological offers, latest generation games, alongside the traditional ones – said CEO Marco Ambrosini – But what remains unchanged are the charm, history and image of this casino: not let’s forget its proximity to Milan, this is the Casino of Milan ». In the projects of what was the largest gambling house in Europe, founded in 1917, since 2007 moved to the huge futuristic building on Lake Lugano, designed by the architect Mario Botta, there is to transform it into a multifunctional venue also for events, culture, with shops, in order to attract not only the players. “Of course the game remains in first place and we will attract fans with our games – added the CEO -, for example, we have the ambition to become the largest poker room in Europe, but all other events will be made to attract also other customers “.
After bankruptcy for debts
The goal is not to repeat the mistakes of the past that led the Casino, the sole shareholder of the Municipality, to bankruptcy in July 2018 with 130 million debts, putting the entire country in crisis. The company reopened on the basis of an agreement with the Como Bankruptcy Court ‘aimed at finding sufficient resources to satisfy the entire debtor class’, in a five-year plan. The aim is also to increase the number of jobs. At the time of closure there were 490, now they are 170, but many services have been outsourced with another fifty hires. “Almost 4 years, finding ourselves without a job all of a sudden, have not been easy to overcome, so for us it is a moment of rebirth and great satisfaction – admitted the mayor, Roberto Canesi – The turnout of these first days, beyond all expectations, it confirms that the Casino has kept its appeal intact, but now we want to transform it into a container that offers art, exhibitions and other entertainment ».