Fate of Italy’s Casino di Campione remains pending

A bankruptcy hearing into Italy’s historic Casino di Campione, once Europe’s largest casino, has been put back until May 17.

Italy.- The wait to learn the fate of Italy’s famous Casino di Campione d’Italia is growing longer. A hearing before judges at the Bankruptcy Court of Como that had been scheduled for this week has now now been postponed until May 17.

The casino, located in the Italian exclave Campione d’Italia within Switzerland’s Ticino canton on the shores of Lake Lugano, was once the largest casino in Europe.

There had been hopes that the casino, which has been closed since July 2018, might be able to reopen by September, but that’s now looking unlikely.

The casino’s management company presented a plan last month on which its request for bankruptcy is now pending, but two judicial commissioners have asked the company to respond to critical issues, one of those being the opening date, slated for early September, which is now seen as too optimistic.

The commissioners also cited a lack of clarity on the number of employees who have joined the company’s proposal to avoid labour lawsuits and questioned the forecast costs of reopening. The judges gave the company two weeks to respond to the issues.

The history of Casino di Campione d’Italia

Founded in 1917, Casino di Campione d’Italia was a base for diplomats to pass information during the First World War.

It was owned by the Italian government and provided sufficient income to run Campione municipality. It was also the municipality’s largest employer.

In 2007, the casino moved to a new nine-storey building designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta beside the original site with space for 56 gaming tables and 500 slot machines. The former building was demolished. Just 11 years later, in July 2018, the casino went bankrupt, with severe consequences for the municipality.