First casinos in Costa Rica

The history of casinos in Costa Rica is the path from hotel living rooms and private lounges in San Jose to today's hotel-casino format: small play spaces at hotels 4-5, where the evening game is naturally woven into gastronomy and nightlife. Unlike the "megacourts" of other countries, the Costa Rican model developed gradually, around the hotel infrastructure of the capital.

1) Early points of attraction: historic hotels and "playrooms"

In 1930, the Gran Hotel Costa Rica opened - one of the key city attractions at the National Theater. The building became the San Jose Secular Center; publications about the hotel note the presence of a casino in the lobby, reflecting an early tradition of combining the hotel and the game under one roof.

2) Institutionalizing the scene: 1970s-1980s

The modern wave of casinos started in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when separate playgrounds at hotels and on their own began to appear in San Jose. One of the first full-fledged casinos of the new format was Casino Club Colonial (San Jose), which opened in 1982 and is still considered one of the oldest operating casinos in the country.

3) 1990s: night capital and recognizable addresses

In the 1990s, the Costa Rican capital cemented its reputation as the "night hub" of Central America. The symbol of the era was the Hotel Del Rey in downtown San Jose - a hotel with casinos and bars, widely known among foreign audiences (especially among the betting community). The object regularly appeared in media materials as an important part of the urban night scene of the 1990s - 2010s.

4) 2000s → today: hotel-casino format as the "norm"

By the early 2000s, the hotel-casino model had become dominant, with compact rooms at hotels in San Jose/Escasu and on the coast (Hako, Puntarenas, Liberia Zone) offering slots and board games as part of the evening's leisure activities. Metropolitan "grand hotels" retain the rhythm of urban life, and the legendary sites of the 1980s-1990s are still recognizable among travelers and expats.

Time line (TL; DR)

1930 - Gran Hotel Costa Rica opens; the hotel becomes the center of cultural life in San Jose (sources mention casinos in the lobby).

1982 - Casino Club Colonial, one of the first full-fledged "new wave" casinos, starts.

1990s - Hotel Del Rey forms the image of the "night capital" among foreigners: hotel, bars, casinos.

2000s → - the hotel-casino format is fixed in the capital and resort areas.

Why the early scene developed this way

1. Hotel matrix. San Jose has historically developed as a center for business and cultural tourism; it is logical that the game "built" into the hotel ecosystem.

2. Evening leisure demand. Small, "home" halls turned out to be convenient for guests after excursions and business trips.

3. Format flexibility. Compact casinos are easier to fit into the fabrics of the center - nearby theaters, cafes, museums, shopping.

What's left of the first casinos today

Legacy addresses. Historic hotels in the capital maintain "classic" status, and 1980s pioneers like Club Colonial are still recognizable in the market.

Urban evening route. For a tourist, the formula "museum/theater → dinner → an hour and a half in a casino" still works.

Change of emphasis. The night scene became more differentiated: a focus on safety, gastronomy, live music and responsible play.

Costa Rica's "first casinos" grew out of the hotel culture of San Jose. From the secular salons of historical hotels through the "pioneers" of the 1980s (Casino Club Colonial) to the iconic venues of the 1990s (Hotel Del Rey) and the current hotel-casino norm, the country's path shows how a modest in scale, but cozy and sustainable format can become part of a tourist brand. Today, this tradition continues to live in the capital and on the coast, combining comfort, culture and metered excitement.