Casino Di Campione Closing leaves local community Concerned

In northern Italy, last summer’s decision to temporarily close one of Europe’s oldest casinos has destroyed its host community and left 200 creditors from pocket to the combined tune of approximately €73 million ($83.47 million).

Lethargic evaluation:

According to a Sunday report from The Daily Telegraph paper, the Casino Di Campione has sat empty since July when it had been shut down by a provincial court so that allegations of fiscal mismanagement could be investigated. This slow-moving inquiry has led to the nearly 500 workers of the Alpine venue, situated along the shores of Lake Lugano, wondering whether they will ever operate inside the 592,015 sq ft property again.

Community concerns:

The paper reported that a 30-day deadline which was due to see the authorities title some special commissioner to research re-opening possibilities has since come and gone with no action while the approximately 2,000 residents of the town of Campione are being plagued by fears that the indefinite closing will lead to the collapse of the small community. These worries have led some residents to journey as far off as Milan so as to seek out psychiatric assistance.

Town ‘in limbo’:

Fiorenzo Dorigo, a former machine tech in the Casino Di Campione, told The Daily Telegraph that the closure of the venue has struck ‘all of the sectors’ of the town ‘in the distribution chain to the cab drivers to the bakers who brought bread to the casino restaurant kitchen.

Dorigo to the origin …

“The city is falling. The little bars, pizzerias and stores are all in deep trouble. Everyone gave them credit. No-one thought the casino would close from 1 day to the next. We’re all in limbo now and the longer time passes the harder it will become. ”

Creditors visiting court:

It was reported that the list of those owed money by Casino Di Campione moreover contains numerous banks, millionaire financiers and internet gambling firms and that some of them have since lodged a court action seeking recompense. The outcome of this legal effort remains uncertain while some residents have pinned their hopes on national officials eventually accepting an offer from neighboring Switzerland to absorb the very small Campione D’Italia enclave where the casino stays.

Storied history:

The casino opened in 1917 in order for Italian spies to gather intelligence from seeing diplomats during the First World War. It had been closed in 1919 prior to being siphoned some 14 years later utilizing a decree which required it to pay for the running of the local municipality.

Multiple triggers:

Furthermore, the place subsequently prospered because it became a sanctuary for some of the planet ’s wealthiest gamblers.

Municipal service:

Mirko Chirico, former head of the casino’s food and beverage unit, reportedly told the paper that Campione was formerly ‘envied as an enclave of wealth and privilege’ together with earnings in the casino having paid the salaries for roughly 100 municipal workers.

According to Chirico…

“Everybody made mistakes; the politicians, the management, the municipality. However, the paradox is that in the factory of errors, the only ones who are paying the price are not the guilty ones but the workers. ”