90 km from Turin in North West Italy,
the spa town of Saint-Vincent in the Valle d'Aosta is known as the "Alpine Riviera".
Visitors to the town will enjoy discovering
its Roman and medieval past, as well as
taking in the stunning mountain scenery.
The Casino through history
The first gambling house appeared in 1872,
as a summer attraction for visitors to the
springs, but it was not until 1921 that the
local mayor made the first formal requests
to open a casino. It was thanks to the Valle d'Aosta's political status as a region
governed by special statute that the casino
was finally allowed to open in 1947, with
the idea of giving tourism and the local
economy a boost.
The first game at the new casino got
underway on 29th March 1947 at 9 pm. The
roulette wheel spun for three Italian
guests, stopping its very first turn on number 9.
Star guests…
The Casino at Saint-Vincent has seen many
famous guests throughout its history, for
the gaming as well as the many prestigious
events that the casino hosts each year.
Tyrone Power and Linda Christian arrived at
Grand Hotel Billia in their Mercury; while
more recently Sean Connery won 20 million
lire betting on a lucky 17 that came out
three times. Italian actors Vittorio De Sica
and Alberto Sordi came to Saint Vincent for
the award ceremony of the national Cinema
event hosted by the casino, the Grolle d'Oro,
as did Federico Fellini, Pier Paolo Pasolini,
Alberto Lattuada, Anna Magnani, Bernardo
Bertolucci, Silvana Mangano, Ugo Tognazzi,
Gian Maria Volonte', Paolo Stoppa, Vittorio
Gassman, Walter Chiari and Diego Abatantuono.
…and famous gamblers
Edoardo and Peppino De Filippo were famous
for their all-nighters at the casino, while
King Farouk of Egypt was another well-known
face at the tables, remembered for his
traditional plate of eggs and onions while playing.
Better odds at the casino
The most popular betting in Italy is on the
football pools, with games like Totocalcio
and Totogol, or chancing the luck of the
lottery, but few people actually realize
that they would have much better chances of
winning at the casino.
Take roulette for
example - with the French game you have a 1
in 37 chance of winning, against over 1 in a
million for the pools and up to 1 in 40
million of hitting the jackpot with a
scratch card.
Saint-Vincent success story
Business is booming at Saint-Vincent, as the
figures show: last year's gross takings were
over 300 billion lire, with 64% of that from
the gaming tables. While the other Italian
casinos have invested more on slot machines,
Saint-Vincent has opted to invest in
personnel, with its highly professional
staff of croupiers. The casino is also a big
employer, with 840 people on its books.
Special events
The Casino is famous for its prestigious
events, shows, sport tournaments, meetings
and National Award for cinema, journalism
and economy, all promoted by TV and
newspapers all over Italy. At present there
is also a special agreement with Juventus
FC, Italy's number one team, and together
with the local air company AIR VALLEE the
casino has also laid on special flights for
clients from other parts of Italy.
Customer service: + 39 (0166) 522506
(every day from 3pm to 11pm)
Information desk: +39 0166 522287
Internet: www.casinodelavallee.it (info on this page courtesy of the Casino site)
e-mail: marketing@casinodelavallee.it
Brasserie du Casino
The casino restaurant is open from 8pm to 1 am, featuring live floor shows and delicious
Italian and international cuisine.
tel. + 39 (0166) 522385/522381
fax + 39 (0166) 522382
Local Tourist Office
For information about hotel accommodation and tourist trips in and around
Saint-Vincent and the Valle d'Aosta.
Via Roma, 48
11027 Saint-Vincent Ao
ITALY
tel. + 39 (0166) 512239
fax + 39 (0166) 513149
