With the rise of online gambling in general and online casinos in particular, there is more and more of it the brick and mortar casinos that need to look for a readjustment in terms of its business model, to be able to remain competitive and survive in the industry.
In Spain, the Directorate for Gambling Regulation in Spain confirmed in figures for 2019 and 2020 that around 65% of the peninsula’s population gambles over the Internet. And that data predates the coronavirus pandemic, which further accelerated the exodus of players to online platforms.
More and more casinos are looking for a new lifestyle that they can combine with their usual gambling duties. And in the north we could already have one of the first examples of what can become of the game room concept. Slots could be interspersed with cultural events.
This is what the Government of Cantabria is proposing Great Sardinero Casino, a historic building and one of the jewels of the beautiful Sardinero Beaches area. And it’s not only rich on an architectural level, but in Cantabria and the surrounding provinces it’s also a benchmark for what a typical casino should look like.
Santander City Council’s regionalist group has spent several years trying to get the enclave to change its outlook on the future and Set aside part of your lucrative activities to organize more social and cultural events. However, they have never reached an agreement with the City Council and the Cantabrian Government, the owners of the building.
Now the proposal is getting even more concrete, because they want to bring it to the plenary sessions so that it can be debated by the chamber. The outcome of this debate will be forwarded to the Casino de Santander board of directors, so that they can also state their position on the news.
Some novelties that speak of giving a new use to the casino and making it an important element in the world of leisure and culture. The group’s plan was to renovate the El Sardinero neighborhood in order to recover the great activity that the neighborhood had in the past and its importance for tourism.
The construction of the Plaza de Italia would also fall under this project, although the playing area would have to be restricted. In other words, it would have to reduce the number of slot machines, betting machines, roulette, blackjack or poker games in favor of new social spaces.
That’s the part that doesn’t convince administrators too much, who would see the proposal as an intention to get politically involved on the part of the organization, which is also one of the organizations that’s pushed the most to do something over the past decade Changes to the Gran Casino Sardinero. .
Since 2011 Rumors in the Cantabrian capital speak of the idea that the casino should become a kind of municipal theatre. Since the Pereda building as such has disappeared, there has been no building to relieve him of these duties, and the spaces in the recreation room seem ideal. A restaurant, three dining rooms, two bars, a cafeteria, a party room and two playrooms go a long way.
You have to remember that post war periodwith the total cessation of its lucrative activities due to the strict measures imposed on gambling by the authoritarian Franco regime, It was run as an art and essay cinema. A cinema that operated until 1978 when restrictions were lifted and the entire interior of the cinema was remodeled.
In front of this stage, it also served as a common playroom with rooms for dances, party favours, plays, musicals and opera performances. This means that they already have experience with this type of events and part of the more classic Santander population has always wanted to recapture the atmosphere that lived there.
The reality is that times have changed and The casino is dedicated to hosting sporting events, art exhibitions, photo contests and various festivals in which personalities from Cantabria and all regions of Spain participate. But it always maintains its essence as a gambling casino.
The shift could come at a time when an economic recovery has been a real possibility after the entire global health crisis since early 2020 was part of the pandemic. However, the plans for the Sardinero could also go in a different direction.
It is currently not entirely clear whether the motion will be accepted or whether a consensus will be reached on this plan. The intentions could get lost between possible differences between political groups and discussions with professionals in the gambling market who try to distance themselves to some extent from relations with diplomacy.
What will happen in the coming weeks around one of Spain’s oldest casinos and what could fit perfectly into a roundup of the peninsula’s main gambling houses remains up in the air.
