Casino da Póvoa

Póvoa de Varzim was a Northern Portugal's upper-class beach resort in the 19th century, before the popularization of sea baths and sun baths by the general population, and a prominent site for gambling, with seventeen casinos, frequently in the back-doors of cafés and pubs, the most famous of which was Café Chinês ("Chinese Café"), known in Portugal for its exotic decoration and Spanish dancers. Others were Café Suíço, Café David, Café Universal, and Luso-Brasileiro. Camilo Castelo Branco recurrently visited Póvoa de Varzim to gamble.

The regulation of gambling in the city occurred in early 20th century, and the construction of Póvoa Casino started on February 28, 1930 when an Garnier-inspired modernist building started being built. The casino opened four years later and soon started to be seen as the pro-eminent casino in northern Portugal. The hotel for the casino was built next to it, in Passeio Alegre Square.

Casino da Póvoa is licensed to Varzim Sol since December, 2001. Varzim Sol's major shareholder is Estoril Sol, a company majority-owned by Chinese gambling king Stanley Ho and Amorim group. Prior to Stanley Ho's investments in Póvoa de Varzim, it was licensed to Sopete (Sociedade Poveira de Empreendimentos Turísticos).