Until 1959, Havana was the Caribbean entertainment capital: hotels and cabarets (including the legendary Tropicana) operated casinos focused on foreign tourism and nightlife.
The gambling scene was adjacent to jazz, a dream of kubano, mambo and salsa, forming the image of the "brilliant" capital of the Caribbean.
After the revolution, the state headed for a complete ban on casinos and private gambling halls, and the industry shifted to music shows, dances, theater and festivals - the cultural code retained entertainment, but without gambling.
An echo of the pre-revolutionary era in the mythology of the city remained cabaret shows, classic cars, the figure of Hemingway and nostalgic images of pre-war Havana.
In popular memory, there are stories about underground practices (for example, pain), but the modern cultural landscape of the country is entirely built around music, carnivals and gastronomy.
So the historical "gambling" head of Cuba ended, giving way to tourism without a casino and a strong stage tradition.
How Havana became a symbol of the Caribbean's luxurious nightlife in the 1950s: from casino hotels and cabarets to the explosive heyday of Cuban music and informal ties to American criminal capital. Architecture, economics, key venues, social price and the 1959 final.
Learn more →The history of the participation of American criminal networks in the gambling and entertainment industry of pre-war Cuba: from the entrance to hotel projects and cabarets to casino management standards, cashing schemes and political patronage. Influence mechanics, key practices, conflict of interest, and the post-1959 finale.
Learn more →Political, moral and economic reasons for the liquidation of the gambling industry after the Cuban Revolution: anti-corruption course, break with the "golden showcase" of Havana, the role of mafia capital and foreign influence, nationalization and legal prohibitions, consequences for tourism, employment and culture.
Learn more →How casinos became a symbol of pre-war Havana in music, posters and movies - and how this image was rethought after 1959. Neon and cabaret iconography, risk-taking and luxury motivations, official criticism and diasporic nostalgia, key film examples and the impact on modern non-stakes tourism.
Learn more →Why the image of "old Havana" continues to beckon - neon, casino, cabaret, retro auto, rum and bolero. Where does nostalgia grow, what legends are exaggerated, what really survived in the city, how the cinema and tourism industry works with this, and how to follow the traces of the era without romanticizing harm.
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