Nice Casino, Nice Casino History

In the central part of the city of Nice, on Place Massena, there was once a municipal gambling house, where you could play cards and roulette.

Admiring the architecture of a populous square, not only locals walked along it, but also foreign visitors.

In 1884, the first municipal casino was built in Nice, which became one of the most popular places in the city. The gambling establishment, immortalized by postcards, consisted of richly decorated rooms, a hall, a restaurant, a large hall and a theater.

Casino Nice

The initiator of the construction of a luxurious institution, designed by the famous architect Messiah, was Omer Lazard, who paid for the construction and received the right to use it for eight years.

In the municipal gambling house one could try roulette, baccarat and other card games, and on the second floor of the institution to bet a large amount of money.

Famous musicians and actors were invited to perform here, and in 1984 there was a jazz festival with the participation of Louis Armstrong and Django Reinhardt.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the theater and the halls were reconstructed, and later they completely changed the facade of the building.

During the war, the fascists made the building a prison, and the Americans who came came to hand it over to the needs of the military.

After the end of the war, Charles de Gaulle addressed the townspeople from the balcony of the municipal casino.

In the late 70s of the twentieth century, the gaming business was shut down, and the building began to gradually collapse – and it was eventually demolished.

Gambling regulation
The progenitor of the gambling business in Europe is France.

The first gambling house was opened in order to replenish the treasury by the main financial curator Jean Baptiste Colbert in Paris in the middle of the 17th century, which the Parisians didn’t like very much.

In addition to a large selection of card games, here for the first time offered a roulette, which later became popular all over the world.

The number of gambling establishments grew rapidly, improving and bringing good income to the country.

The French Revolution stopped the development of the gambling industry by issuing a decree banning gambling.

In the history of gambling there is a lot of controversy. The next who treated him indulgently was Napoleon I, who came to power, but this period in the history of the country was short.

At the end of the 19th century, the French National Assembly, by its decision, outlawed the gambling business.

For the owners of the resort hotels are hard times, as their income has declined sharply. Litigation began with the authorities, which were heard only at the beginning of the 20th century by Georges Clemenceau, Minister of the Interior of France, who realized the need to resolve the games and initiated their legalization. With his support, the National Assembly of France passed a law that still applies today.

This legal act allowed the organization and conduct of gambling only in the territories of the resorts, which they used in the small town of Engen, which is located 15 kilometers from Paris. Engen becomes popular among Parisians, but gains the fame of the “bad city”. The press unleashes its indignation on the government, accusing it of corruption and causing gambling. Subjecting to public opinion, the National Council of France adopts an amendment to the law, in accordance with which gambling establishments can be located only in resort cities, no closer than 100 km from Paris. This amendment did not concern only Engen, his right to have a casino was enshrined in law, and today it is the largest gambling establishment in France.

The law also introduced a new procedure for licensing gambling business, from the introduction of which local authorities received the right to dictate terms to it.

The provisions of the document and regulated the game. Visitors were allowed to play only against each other. Later, some gambling clubs were allowed blackjack and classic roulette.

The Second World War stopped the development of the gambling business, which did not resume even after its termination, unlike in post-war Europe. The reason for this was the conservative legislation of France, which limited the number of games, banned automata, set high standards for appearance, and allowed people to play at least 21st year.

Permanent scandals added fuel to the fire in the formation of the negative attitude of the authorities to the gambling business, one of which occurred in the casino of Nice Ruhl, which declared itself Las Vegas and found out in connection with the criminal world. The scandal ended with the closure of all the gambling establishments of Nice.

1984 was a significant year in the development of the gambling business in France. The standards of the European community on labor, equalizing the rights of men and women, have spread to its employees. The new parliament lowered the age limit for visiting a casino from the 21st to the age of 18, and American roulette, punto banko and slot machines were added to the list of games.

A new law is being passed allowing gambling in cities with a population of over 500,000 residents, while gambling establishments should almost take over the maintenance of historical monuments, theaters, museums of the city.