The Scily Site Logo, with map of Sicily in background
This Site
Save to del.icio.us
 Primary Travel Insurance

Casinos in Sicily and Italy

If you are looking for casinos in Sicily for your holiday, then unfortunately you will be disappointed. Sicily doesn't have any casinos. There was once a casino in Taormina, but it is no longer there. In fact the Taormina Casino in Sicily closed in January 1965. Its doors were open for just under two years. The only way, other than between friends, for you to gamble in Sicily is online. So for all you hardened gamblers on holiday in Sicily, you will need to bring your laptops and have an online gambling account. Other than online gambling, those wanting to find a casino in Sicily will have to travel to the mainland. Italy has four casinos. They are in San Remo, Champion, Venice and Saint Vincent.

If you do intend to visit a casino in Italy then here are links to them all. It may be worth checking on the casino web sites whether there are any particular dress restrictions.

The Saint Vincent Casino in the Valle d'Aosta

The Campione d'Italia in Capinoe on Lake Lugano

The Sanremo Casino in the town centreof San Remo

The Venice Casino in you guessed it, Venice.

   

The Taormina Casino in Sicily was opened in 1962 for one night only. It then opened for a period of nearly two years between February 1963 and January 1965. Since then there have been many calls for the casino to reopen. It is felt that it would bring a lot of money into the area and would be good for the already booming tourism industry of Taormina. However it would appear that the Italian government will not be relaxing the law 401/1989 that limits gambling in Italy to only State authourised betting providers. An Italian government minister has stated that a casino in Taormina could be used for money laundering.

 
Gambling in Italy is legal if the betting organisers are licensed by the Ministry of Finance. The Italian Casinos all have this gaming licence. Everywhere else casino type games such as black jack, slots, roulette, craps, are prohibited.
roulette in sicily? maybe not.
This page was put together as a lot of people asked us for information about gambling in Italy and Sicily and in particular about Italian casinos. However, if you are in Sicily for a vacation, then you might find it easier to give gambling a miss for a few weeks. It'll probably be the best option and you will most likely save a bit of money, leaving you more to spend on the beautiful Sicilian food.