Les Casinos in the Var, a fascinating world

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The glamorous past of casinos in the Var

At the dawn of the20thcentury, when the benefits of sea bathing were being extolled, the Var coastline quickly attracted a foreign clientele from Germany, England and Russia. Faced with this new craze for the Mediterranean climate, the various municipalities chose to build casinos to entertain this wealthy clientele. The Saint-Raphaël casino was the very first to open its doors in 1881, making it one of the oldest casinos in France. In 1887, the casinos at La Seyne-sur-Mer, Tamaris and Manteau were built, making a major contribution to the history of the western Var region, even though they are now defunct.

The Sainte-Maxime casino, inaugurated in 1929, was a reception centre for those wounded in the Great War, then transformed into an art deco casino in the early 1920s. The same goes for the Grand Casino d'Hyères tearoom , now known as the Pasino d'Hyères, which was converted into a hospital during the First World War. It closed in 1962 and was completely refurbished in 1991.

In Bandol, the year 1930 marked the birth of the municipal casino and its gaming hall. The establishment also boasted a large dance hall and even a cinema.

The new casinos

New establishments with resolutely modern linesor retro allureshave been built very recently for the most part. This is the case of the JOA casino in La Seyne-sur-Mer, which opened in January2016. Itsfuturistic architecture and light lineshave quickly become part of the port landscape.The Fréjus and Sanary-sur-Mercasinosopened in 2013 and 2018 respectively. They all aim to offer a wide range of leisure activities that go beyond table games and slot machines. Like the Cavalaire-sur-Mer casino, which opened its doors in 1996 and now offers shows, exhibitions and a variety of events, they have becomekey venues for local cultural life.

Var casinos diversify their offer

Are you looking for a good meal, a breathtaking view or some great shows? Don't hesitate to turn to the casinos! Some even offer accommodation, like theHôtel des Palmiers, a discreet and elegant 4* hotel nestling in the heart of the Pasino Partouche in the centre of Hyères-les-Palmiers. The Vic For Victoria restaurant , named after Queen Victoria who fell in love with the town, also welcomes lovers of Mediterranean cuisine in a stylish, cosy atmosphere.

As for entertainment and shows, the offer could not be more varied: from the traditional lotto to headline acts, not forgetting ephemeral concepts such as "La boîte noire", the restaurant in the dark at the JOA casino in La Seyne-sur-Mer in 2023.

Casinos: anecdotes

There are eight casinos in the Var, stretching along the coast from Saint-Raphaël to Bandol, via the casino in Hyères. If you look closely, you'll notice that they all have one thing in common: the casinos are all (with the exception of the more recent ones) located on the water's edge.

You have to go back to 1804 to find out why. Napoleon created the first gambling establishment to combat illegal gambling. The decree that followed two years later stipulated that casinos could only open if they were located in spa towns or seaside resorts. Bonaparte was a regular at spas and a great player of Poker Vingt-et-Un, a game very similar to Blackjack. Perhaps that explains it!