Casinos and games of chance have long held an important place in Cuba’s history. Before the communist revolution took place, Havana was a playground akin to Las Vegas for the rich and famous. After the revolution, Cuba still operated casinos, but not in as large of a capacity. This paper will discuss both time periods.

The first reports of gambling in Cuba took place in the back rooms of nightclubs. The owners of the clubs would offer to lease their rooms to whoever was willing to fund and operate a game. During this time, the Cuban government dealt very little in gaming regulation. This allowed for much manipulation by the dealers to ensure that the house won. Havana, in these early days, was the home to just two reputable casinos: the louse ring underneath the Oriental Park horse track and the plush Montmartre club. The Montmartre club was operated by the most important man in Cuban gambling, Meyer Lansky.

The American Meyer Lansky, a high-ranking member of the Genovese crime family, was the driving force behind early Cuban casinos. He had started out in Las Vegas and learned his trade quickly. He approached Fulgencio Batista, the dictator of Cuba, with a business plan to turn Cuba into a town similar to Las Vegas and Monte Carlo. He won the president over easily with the promise of increased revenue. In 1953, Batista, with Lansky’s help, began a movement to rid Cuba of its fixed poker games. He broke up thirteen card ships and deported eleven Americans back to their homeland. In the winter of ‘54-‘55, Lansky had instituted his fair gaming policies in all gambling houses and by the spring of ’55 all reports of fixed gaming had ceased. This marked the beginning of the golden age of gambling in Cuba.

Cuba began to promote casino growth within its borders. Many state subsidized tax credits were afforded to casinos that opened their doors. It was now that Lansky decided to fashion what would be the crown jewel of Havana, the Riviera Hotel. This luxurious Mecca for cards, dice and chance opened in December of 1957 and started making money right away. High rollers from all over the world quickly descended upon the adult playground. Havana became synonymous with extravagance and decadence. Hundreds of thousands of dollars was pouring into Havana everyday during this time period. Lansky and Baptista had orchestrated their visions and were now on top of the world. In a year, however, the whole house of cards would come crashing down.

In December of ‘58, communist insurgents overthrew Baptista’s government. On New Years day of ’59, Baptista fled the country along with his family and staff. One of the first moves of Fidel Castro, the leader of the communist forces, was to shut down all the country’s casinos and the national lottery. The casinos later reopened underneath government control. However, the industry would never rebound. Americans were not allowed in Cuba, and that was the main cash flow. It was just as easy for most to go to Las Vegas. Many casinos remain open in Cuba, but they are not nearly as productive as before.