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Famous gambling establishments in Havana (Cuba)
In the 1940-1950s, Havana became the main "game showcase" of the Caribbean. The integrated hotel-casino-show model attracted tourists from the USA and Latin America: the evening was built according to the formula "dinner - cabaret - tables/slots - bar." Below is an overview of the sites that shaped the myth of "fun Havana," with brief profiles, game formats and fate after 1959.
District map and "route of the night"
Vedado/Malecón are modernist towers with casinos and ocean views.
Old Havana/Centro Anastro - historical bars, clubs, separate game salons.
Itinerary: cocktails - cabaret show - VIP lounge - late dinner - morning bar.
Icon platforms (short profiles)
1) Hotel Nacional de Cuba (Vedado)
Profile: high-end hotel, political and social events; in different years - halls with roulette/cards.
Chips: panoramas of Malecon, "cabaret Parisien" on the site of the hotel, meetings of the business elite.
Games: roulette, baccarat, "twenty-one," private salons.
After 1959: retained the status of a hotel legend, game functions were discontinued.
2) Riviera (1957, Malecon)
Profile: A high-end, modernist hotel-casino
Chips: marble, variety shows, ocean line.
Games: roulette, craps, baccarat, slots, VIP rooms.
After 1959: the casino was closed, the hotel switched to a different model.
3) Capri (1957, Vedado)
Profile: Stylish hotel with an active night scene.
Chips: Rooftop bar, "night tower" fame for US tourists
Games: Tables and slots, high stakes rooms.
After 1959: cessation of gambling.
4) Deauville (1957, Malecon)
Profile: A resort tower with sea views
Chips: stage, restaurant halls, proximity to Old Havana.
Games: roulette, slots, card tables.
After 1959: Casino closed.
5) Habana Hilton (1958; now Habana Libre, Vedado)
Profile: The largest Caribbean hotel of its time
Chips: ultra-modern (for 1958) interiors, gastronomy.
Games: playroom in the complex, show program.
After 1959: nationalized; games are prohibited.
6) Tropicana (Marianao)
Profile: legendary open-air cabaret, a bundle with game formats in different periods.
Chips: garden scenes, orchestras, corps de ballet, world stars.
Games: Tables and stakes were adjacent to the evening shows.
After 1959: preserved as a show platform without gambling.
7) Sans Souci (Marianao)
Profile: A popular cabaret restaurant with a game.
Chips: revue programs, Havana's "night classics."
Games: Roulette/card tables near the stage.
After 1959: the game part is closed.
8) Montmartre (Vedado)
Profile: A cabaret club with dance shows and a restaurant
Chips: European style, proximity to modernist hotels.
Games: cards, roulette; separate rooms.
After 1959: closure of the gaming segment.
9) Casino Parisién (Nacional venue)
Profile: European-style evening revues; in different years - a bundle with gaming practices.
Chips: "Parisian" image, costumes and scenery.
Gaming: High stakes in loyal customers.
After 1959: the show format remained, the game was discontinued.
10) Sevilla/Sevilla-Biltmore (Old Havana)
Profile: a historic hotel with hotbeds of gaming activity in different years.
Chips: old school service, proximity to the colonial fabric of the city.
Games: cards, roulette (periodically).
After 1959: hotel profile without casino.
(There were other hotbeds - small clubs and private salons, often "by invitation"; their fate after 1959 is the same: gaming activity is discontinued.)
What they played and how it was arranged
Tables: roulette, baccarat, craps, "twenty-one," poker (cash/mini-tournaments); for VIP - private salons.
Slots: electromechanics and early electronics, halls at the entrance groups.
Service: comp (drinks/dinners), hostess, bar-to-table "itineraries," under-show "cruise/charter ads.
Clientele: American tourists, local elite, artists, businessmen.
Dark side and control
Informal ties: administrative patronage and "gray" agreements.
Capital and control: participation of American criminal networks in part of projects; "high-stakes rooms," cash discipline, power advocacy.
Reputational wear: corruption and laundering have undermined the legitimacy of the industry and intensified criticism.
The end of the era (1959) and further fate
Political twist: Casinos close after 1959 revolution, gambling outlawed
Nationalization: Hotels and scenes are moving to a new model - hotels and cultural venues without gambling.
Legacy: Modernist architecture, legends of shows and "routes of the night"; personnel and practices partially migrate to other markets in the region and the United States.
Mini-chronology
until the 1940s: clubs, private salons, lotto; the formation of tourist demand.
1940s: cabaret + game scene consolidation.
1957-1958: Peak of modernist casino hotels (Riviera, Capri, Deauville, Habana Hilton).
1959: Casino closure, industry dismantling.
Totals and significance
Havana's gambling establishments have created a unique blend of architectural luxury, music show and gambling, giving the city the nickname "Las Vegas Caribbean." However, dependence on external demand, political rent and "gray" schemes made the model vulnerable: in 1959 it was dismantled in a matter of months. Today, these addresses are part of cultural memory, not a game card: hotels and cabarets live like hotels and stages, but without roulette and slots.