Casino da Póvoa is a casino located in Póvoa de Varzim

Póvoa de Varzim

Póvoa de Varzim is a Portuguese city in the Norte Region and sub-region of Greater Porto, with a 2011 estimated population of 63,364. According to the 2001 census, there were 63,470 inhabitants with 42,396 living in the city proper. The urban area expanded, southwards, to Vila do Conde, and there...

, near Porto

Porto

Porto , also known as Oporto in English, is the second largest city in Portugal and one of the major urban areas in the Iberian Peninsula. Its administrative limits include a population of 237,559 inhabitants distributed within 15 civil parishes...

, in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. Casino da Póvoa had 676 slot machines in 2005. In 2005, it reported the largest growth in profit in traditional games amongst the Portuguese casinos, by 49%. In 2006, it kept its growth at a more modest pace, only suppressed by the opening effect of Casino Lisboa

Casino Lisboa, Portugal

Casino Lisboa is a casino located at Parque das Nações in the city of Lisbon, Portugal. It was inaugurated and opened to the public on April 19, 2006....

, with 53.825.372 euros of profit in 2006, it became the second largest casino, suppressing Espinho Casino, but with less than 20 thousand euros above Lisbon Casino. it was the third casino with most customers, after Estoril and Lisboa, with 1.2 million customers in 2006.

Sections

• Traditional Games Room ( 1 Ponto e Banca Baccarat, 2 American roulette, 1 Black Jack)
• Slot Machines Room (601 slot machines, 8 American roulette, Banca Francesa (Portuguese dice Game), 4 Black Jacks, 2 Ponto e Banca Baccarat)
• Sala Mista (Mixed Room, 89 slot machines)
• Bar City (in the Slot Machines Room)
• Bar Garden (in the Slot Machines Room)
• Snack Fair Play (in the Slot Machines Room)
• Bar Chinês (Chinese Bar in sala Mista)
• Bar Atrium (located in sala Mista)
• Salão d'Ouro Restaurant

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

Stanley Ho

Stanley Ho, GBM, GLM, GBS, GML, OBE , also known as Ho Hung Sun, Stanley Ho Hung Sun, is an entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Macau. Ho is sometimes nicknamed "The King of Gambling", reflecting the government-granted monopoly he held of the Macau gambling industry for 40 years...

 and Amorim

Amorim

Amorim is a Portuguese surname. A habitational name from any of the various places named Amorim, originally Amorini, from the name of the estate owner.It may refer to:- People :*Ana Amorim, Brazilian handball player...

 group.

History

Póvoa de Varzim was a Northern Portugal'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 gambling, with seventeen casinos, frequently in the back-doors 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

Camilo Castelo Branco

Camilo Ferreira Botelho Castelo-Branco,1st Viscount de Correia Botelho , was a prolific Portuguese writer of the 19th century, having authored over 260 books . His writing is, overall, considered original in that it combines the dramatic and sentimental spirit of Romanticism with a highly personal...

 recurrently visited Póvoa de Varzim to gamble.

The legalization of gambling in the city arrived in early 20th century, and the construction of Póvoa Casino started on 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

Passeio Alegre

Passeio Alegre is a square in Póvoa de Varzim City Center in Portugal, and is listed by IGESPAR as an urban site with public relevance.Passeio Alegre is a beach squared with esplanades and a stage for outdoor performances...

.

External links

• Casino da Póvoa
• Grande Hotel da Póvoa - Hotel of the Casino built during the same time