Casinos in Portugal

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Introduction

Portugal is a good place to find high-quality land-based casinos thanks to a well-regulated casino industry that draws players from around the world. There are over a dozen licensed casinos in the Land of Poets and the casino industry is an important part of the country’s tourism sector and economy overall.

Portugal holds a unique place in casino history due to its past as a world power. Take the connection between the Special Administrative Region (SAR) of Macau, for instance. The Island, which is the only place in China that allows casino gambling, is a former Portuguese enclave that only returned to Chinese control in 1999 under an administration according to what former Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Deng Xiaoping called "One country, two systems,” the same CCP constitutional principle Hong Kong operates under, itself having been under British rule from 1841 to 1997.

These lasting links include the legacy of the Ho family, the first casino concessionaire in Macau. Stanley Ho’s Sociedade de Turismo e Diverse de Macao (S.T.D.M.) got the first casino concession in Macau for Casino Estoril in 1962 and Casino Lisboa in 1970. Sister casinos by the same names still operate in Portugal. However, as we will see in the next section on history, the Portuguese casino Estoril came first.

History of Gambling in Portugal

Organized gambling as we recognize it today began in Portugal in the early 20th century. Casino Estoril was launched in 1931 and it offered regulated gambling in a luxury setting. Located near Lisbon (est. 1256), the casino was an important meeting place for diplomats and even spies as lore would have it during World War II.

More casinos came onto the scene throughout the mid-1900s, especially in areas that tended to attract international tourists and the money they came to spend. With the new casinos came the creation of clear licensing rules and operational standards. During that time the government embraced organized gambling as a way to fatten the country’s coffers and improve the lives of the Portuguese people.

The regulatory framework is not as black and white as it is in some European countries that modeled their regimes after other successful frameworks, it’s more a mix of historical precedence and modern practices that some observers believe may be susceptible to certain forms of corruption as it would be defined in places like the UK or even Luxembourg.

While venues like Casino Lisboa and Casino da Madeira may have started as exclusive establishments for international elites, they have now become inclusive destinations designed to draw in all types of players.

Historical Links Between Portugal and Macau

Portugal influenced the gambling industry in Macau rather than the other way around, for the most part. It does, however, present interesting facets to the overall picture. Macau was a Portuguese colony until 1999 and the district adopted a lot of the administrative frameworks used in Europe and none, if any, of China's way of doing government business before the handover. These cultural and administrative frameworks included gambling regulations. While completely controlled by China today, the former enclave continues to emanate Portuguese influences as can be seen in its architecture, cuisine, and not least of all, administrative practices.

Macau’s success as a world mecca of gambling can be traced directly back to Stanley Ho and his family’s business in Portugal. The Ho family’s investments in Portuguese casinos during the 1900s helped shape the industry. Despite a complete schism in ideological and political worldviews, Portugal and Macau share a unique connection on the global gambling landscape.

Legislation and Jurisdiction

The Portuguese casino industry operates under regulation from the Serviço de Regulação e Inspeção de Jogos (SRIJ). Casinos are licensed in 10 specific gambling zones so that no area gets oversaturated.

There are two sets of rules, one for land-based casinos and another for online operators, but all gambling is controlled by the same regulator. Online gambling came under regulation late by SRIJ. While it took some time for the country to come around to modern online gambling regulations, they did come in line with European standards in 2015. While some of the online casinos with the required internet address ending in “.pt” are associated with land-based casinos there, not all of them are as offshore operators are allowed to do business under the regulations.

Tax laws are different for residents and visitors. Portuguese citizens have to declare casino winnings as taxable income but non-residents usually don't have to with a few very specific exceptions. This is a sweet spot for tourists carved out in the regulations and serves to at least not deter visiting gamblers while still collecting revenues from locals.

There is no expectation for gambling to expand in the country with an iron-fisted control of the ten gambling zones and a significant tax for online operators. The Ministry of Finance seems to prefer stability over unbridled growth which comes as no surprise as the modern Ministry has been in operation since the 1700s.

Popular Spots and Games

Portugal’s casinos are all located in carefully crafted gambling zones with those zones being designated based on their tourism appeal and spreading out local gambling opportunities so that there isn’t too much concentration in any given area. The architecture runs the gamut from antiquated to modern with a good mix filling the spaces in between.

Popular games in Portugal, like almost everywhere else in the Western world include poker, blackjack, roulette, and slot machines. Some of the casinos offer live entertainment from local, regional, and international performers and many offer fine dining options. Sports betting is a big part of the gambling industry there and sportsbooks are often integrated into casino properties large and small.

Slot halls and gambling machines in bars and cafes can be found all across the country so casual gamblers or those not wanting to venture far from home for a brief flutter always have a place to play. While all gambling is under strict control, the proliferation of opportunities have made games of chance simply a fact of life in Portugal. While parlors may not be as prevalent s they are in some other countries, there are still between 5x and 10x as many electronic gaming machines placed outside the ten casinos as there are inside them.

Conclusion

Casinos in Portugal are a lot like gambling venues anywhere else in the world because they offer many of the same games and they operate under a regulatory framework that protects players, provides revenue for the government, and may or may not have an online casino complement. However, no matter where you go you will find an experience that runs the gamut from cosmopolitan to uniquely local. With that being said, there is something decidedly different about gambling in Portugal that is hard to put your finger on.

The back and forth of Macanese influence and Portugal’s influence on Macau through the Ho family are not dead issues with a door slammed between the two countries - if only in terms of culture and immediate history the influence can seem almost palpable.

While it’s hard to imagine any sea change in the country, especially in terms of how many gambling zones or licenses are issued, the integration of online platforms and the growth of sports betting show the local industry continues to evolve.