Casinos in Brazil until 1946 (Golden Era of Rio de Janeiro)

1) Entry: The capital of the night and the showcase of modernization

Between the early 1930s and the spring of 1946, Rio de Janeiro lived in the rhythm of night luxury. Casinos were not only halls of roulette and baccarat - they were multifunctional palaces: concert stages, restaurant halls, fashion, radio and secular chronicles. It worked out the "urban dream" of Brazil - modern, musical, open to the world.

2) Historical background and legal framework

In the late XIX - early XX centuries, gambling was either allowed or limited at the level of decrees and municipal rules.

In the 1930s, in the wake of urban modernization and cultural policy, large casinos received an actual "thaw" under strict formal conditions: police control, tax and sanitary regulations, restrictions for minors.

The era was short: already in 1946, a nationwide ban would interrupt the development of the industry.

3) Glitter geography: Rio's key addresses

Cassino da Urca is a symbol of the golden decade. Art deco, panorama of the bay, stage for samba and revue stars, radio broadcasting studios, evening secular defiles.

Copacabana Palace (salões de jogos) - glamour on the first coast: gambling rooms coexisted with ballrooms, dinner in tuxedos and photo chronicles.

Lapa, Flamingo, Gloria counties - from elite halls to "art salons" with a mixed audience: musicians, journalists, diplomats, athletes.

Outside the capital, venues in São Paulo and resort towns (including "palaces-hotels") flashed, but it was Rio that set the rhythm and style.

4) Night industry economics

Casinos built a complete ecosystem:

Direct jobs: croupiers, cashiers, maitres, doormen, stage technicians, orchestrants, singers, dancers, dressers.
Related services: ateliers, flower and jewelry workshops, taxis, poster printers, hotels and pensions.
Tourism and diplomacy: visits of foreigners, reception of delegations, evening programs for cruise passengers.
Urban fashion and gastronomy: evening dress codes, haute cuisine menu, cocktail culture.

5) Game floor and "adjacent" scenes

Games: roulette, baccarat, "bank," blackjack; slots and mechanical machines - as an attraction in the lobby.

Shows and revues: samba and choir orchestras, ballroom ensembles, "radio hour" with a live audience; invited European and Latin American artists.

Media bundle: posters → columns in newspapers → radio broadcasts of direct concerts → movie magazines with a chronicle of evenings.

Code of conduct: dress code, "code of secular manners," ban on demonstrative incontinence - casinos brought up the ritual of night civilization.

6) Music as the nerve of the era

The golden era of casinos coincided with the heyday of samba and radio shows.

Samba-kanson and large orchestras fit into the format of the halls: opening revue, star numbers, final ball.

The compositions and names of this wave (composers, vocalists, entertainers) through the radio and gramophone went into the national culture.

For many artists, casino scenes became career elevators, from where the road led to cinema and national tours.

7) City and social life

Calendar of seasons: winter-spring - galas, carnival holidays - special programs; out of season - touring benefits.

Social mosaic: elite, bohemia, journalists, athletes, the first "media persons." Restaurant tables and lodges are places of transactions and acquaintances.

Security and control: the morality police monitored order, and the municipal authorities monitored licenses and the closure of the "gray halls."

8) Architecture and design

Art Deco and Art Nouveau: facades with neon, marble halls, mirror galleries, scenes with lifting mechanics and light ramps.

Urban image: casinos "illuminated" the bay and avenues, set the night horizon of Rio, determined the aesthetics of postcards and newsreels.

9) Moral and political controversy

Even in the "golden" years, debate boiled around the casino:

Supporters talked about taxes, jobs and the tourism showcase.
Opponents - about moral risks, family tragedies, "corruption of youth."
The turn to post-war conservatism and the increased role of religious discourse set the stage for the total ban of 1946.

10) How it all ended in 1946

In the spring of 1946, a federal decree banning gambling closed the halls literally in days. Totals:

An instant shutdown of the industry and a blow to the night economy.
Migration of talents: musicians and artists went to radio, theater, cabaret, cinema.
The cultural footprint remained in songs, chronicles, posters and legends about "night Rio."

11) The legacy of the "golden era"

The musical canon of samba and Brazilian pop of the 1930s and 40s still sounds in the cinema and on stages.

Rio iconography, with views of Urca and Copacabana, is a visual brand created largely by casinos.

Urban practices - evening defiles, restaurant culture, the language of secular speakers - continue to live without roulette.

12) Mini-chronology

con. XIX-1920s: partial permits, local halls, hippodromes and lotteries.

1930s - early 1940s: The rise of Rio's major casinos; stages, radio, tourism.

1946: Federal ban - instant shutdown.

after 1946: cultural footprint in media and nostalgia, periodic political discussions about the future of the format.

13) Why this story matters today

This is a lesson in urban economics: how a single evening sentence (game + music + gastronomy + media) changes the rhythm of a metropolis.

This is the lesson of regulation: the brief thaw and the abrupt ban show how sensitive gaming formats are to the political and moral climate.

This is the country's branding lesson: "night Rio" has become an international image - and continues to work for tourism and culture.

14) The bottom line

The "golden era" of the Rio de Janeiro casino is a brief but defining episode of Brazilian modernity. She created the language of urban nightlife, gave career trajectories to musicians and artists, changed the economy and the visual image of the capital. The 1946 ban put an end to the industry, but did not erase the cultural code: the rhythms, images and rituals of that era still come to life in music, cinema and the memory of the city.