at a glance

the cassino da urca (urca casino) represents an era in brazilian history that stands for opulence and glamour, as is evidenced by the architecture of the building, which still stands on the urca beach, even though it has not been functioning as a casino for the past 70 years.

the casino started out as a much humbler structure - it was not more than a simple playing house, until the gambler joaquim rolla won the deeds to the business in a card game in 1933.  being a great visionary and smart businessman, he transformed the casino  into the luxurious building that it is today.

when it opened its doors in 1936, originaly intended as a hotel, it became known as one the most prestigeous establishment of it's kind, at the time, matching the reputation of gems such as the copacabana palace. however, the hotel only offered 34 rooms, and the casino quickly became the main focus of the operation.