Cassino da Urca
Urca Casino was a renowned Brazilian casino that operated in Rio de Janeiro from 1933 until the national prohibition of gambling in 1946.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Cassino da Urca, commonly rendered in English as Urca Casino, was a historic casino and entertainment venue in the Urca neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It occupied a prominent waterfront building whose origins predated the casino itself: the structure was completed in 1922 and initially operated as the Balneário Hotel. After adaptations for gaming and entertainment, it opened as a casino in 1933. The casino initially experienced a period of adjustment and relatively weak attendance. Its fortunes changed after businessman Joaquim Rolla acquired some of its shares through a card game. Under his influence, Urca Casino entered a period of rapid growth and became an internationally renowned destination. Its importance reflected the wider role of Brazilian casinos during the period, when gaming venues combined gambling with live entertainment, hospitality, and social prestige. Urca Casino's commercial life ended in 1946, when President Eurico Gaspar Dutra prohibited gambling in Brazil. The closure was therefore caused by a national regulatory decision rather than by a reported failure of the venue's business model. The building subsequently entered a different phase of institutional use. From 1954 to 1980, after its acquisition by Diários Associados, it was adapted to house the studios of TV Tupi, one of Brazil's important early television broadcasters. The property later suffered decades of abandonment and deterioration. Its cultural significance nevertheless remained visible in both Brazilian popular memory and the history of science. The term "Urca process" in nuclear astrophysics is associated with the casino because George Gamow and Mário Schenberg first proposed the underlying idea at the venue. The name thus survives beyond the casino industry as a reference in scientific literature. The beachfront portion of the former casino building was restored by the Istituto Europeo di Design for use as its Rio de Janeiro headquarters. IED operated there from 2013 to 2021. In 2023, the building was converted for use by Eleva Urca School after the school won a government process in 2020 to take over the space. The restored exterior retained walls from the original building, while the interior was renovated for educational use. The former casino is therefore best understood today as a defunct hospitality and gaming brand attached to a historically significant building that has been reused for broadcasting, design education, and schooling.
History
The building associated with Urca Casino was constructed in 1922 in Rio de Janeiro's Urca neighborhood and first served as the Balneário Hotel. It was later remodeled and adapted for casino use, opening as Urca Casino in 1933. The venue operated during a period when Brazilian casinos functioned as major entertainment and social institutions, combining gaming with hospitality and performances. Its early period included adaptation difficulties and limited attendance. A turning point came when businessman Joaquim Rolla obtained some of the casino's shares in a card game. The venue subsequently experienced a strong commercial upswing and gained international renown. The available historical account does not identify a formal founder, but it links Rolla to the casino's later expansion and prominence. The casino closed in 1946 after President Eurico Gaspar Dutra prohibited gambling throughout Brazil. This regulatory change brought the venue's original business to an end. The building was later acquired by Diários Associados and, from 1954 to 1980, was adapted as a home for TV Tupi studios, giving the property a second major role in Brazilian media history. After the television period, the building spent decades abandoned and deteriorating. Its historical reputation remained significant, partly because the name of the Urca Casino became connected with the Urca process in nuclear astrophysics. George Gamow and Mário Schenberg first proposed the concept at the casino, creating an unusual connection between a gaming venue and scientific terminology. A restoration of the beachfront portion was later undertaken by the Istituto Europeo di Design, which used the property as its Rio de Janeiro headquarters from 2013 through 2021. In 2020, Eleva Urca School won a government process to take over the space, and in 2023 the building was converted to educational use. Renovation preserved walls from the original structure while renewing the interior. The casino brand itself is defunct, but the building continues to have a changing institutional life as a preserved landmark in Urca.
- 2023
Building converted into a school
[1]The former casino property was renovated and converted for Eleva Urca School, while retaining walls from the original structure.
- 2020
Eleva Urca School wins government process
[1]Eleva Urca School was selected through a government process to take over the building.
- 2013
IED restoration and occupancy begin
[1]The Istituto Europeo di Design restored the beachfront section and established its Rio de Janeiro headquarters there.
- 1954
Building becomes associated with TV Tupi
[1]After acquisition by Diários Associados, the former casino was adapted for television studios used by TV Tupi.
- 1946
Casino closes after gambling prohibition
[1]President Eurico Gaspar Dutra's prohibition of gambling in Brazil ended Urca Casino's operations.
- 1933
Urca Casino opens
[1]After adaptations to the building, the venue began operating as a casino in Rio de Janeiro.
- 1922
Original building completed as the Balneário Hotel
[1]The waterfront building that later housed Urca Casino was constructed and initially operated as the Balneário Hotel.
Joaquim Rolla becomes associated with the casino's expansion
[1]Businessman Joaquim Rolla acquired some shares through a card game, after which the casino entered a period of increased attendance and prominence.
Products and positioning
A prestigious, internationally recognized Brazilian casino and entertainment venue of the pre-1946 gambling era, later remembered as an architectural, broadcasting, cultural, and scientific landmark.
Casino and entertainment venue · 1933
Urca Casino
The core offering was a waterfront casino in Rio de Janeiro's Urca neighborhood. It operated from 1933 until Brazil's 1946 gambling prohibition and became known as a prominent entertainment and social venue during the period when casinos were legal in the country.
Brand decisions
1946
Gambling operations discontinued after national prohibitionOtherBackground
The casino was operating in a national environment that changed when President Eurico Gaspar Dutra prohibited gambling in Brazil.
Action taken
Urca Casino ceased its gaming operations.
Aftermath
The brand became defunct, and the building was subsequently repurposed for broadcasting and later educational and design uses.
Recent events
- 2023
Former casino building converted for Eleva Urca School[1]
Other
After winning a government process in 2020, Eleva Urca School took over the property, which was renovated for educational use.
- 2013
Restored beachfront section becomes IED Rio headquarters[1]
Other
The Istituto Europeo di Design restored the beachfront section of the former casino and used it as its Rio de Janeiro headquarters.
- 1954
Former casino building adapted for TV Tupi[1]
Other
Following its acquisition by Diários Associados, the building was converted for use as studios by TV Tupi.
- 1946
Brazil bans gambling and closes Urca Casino[1]
Regulation · Other
A national prohibition on gambling ordered by President Eurico Gaspar Dutra ended the casino's operations.
Sources1 sources
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