history

The Dragon’s lair – a brief history

Dragonara Casino Malta The Dragonara Palace was built in 1870 as a summer residence for Emanuele Scicluna, a banker who was made a marquis in 1875 on the strength of a loan to Pope Pius IX.

A central courtyard, later roofed over to house the main gaming hall, contained flowerbeds and fountains around which the interconnecting rooms of the colonnaded palace were built. A semi-circular staircase leads to the main entrance, which is guarded by two pharaonic statues.

The palace got its name from the promontory it stands on, which means dragon’s lair. Folklore tells that a dragon lived in the caves and hollows hereabouts, but the noises were no more than the sound of crashing waves.

Dragonara Casino During the Dardanelles campaign of the First World War, the palace was used as an officer’s hospital for the wounded from Gallipoli. And during the inter-war years it became a centre for the arts and it even had its own orchestra. It reverted to being a sanctuary during the Second World War as a home for bomb refugees.

In the early 1960s an Anglo-German company leased the palace and its grounds from the Scicluna Family. After extensive alterations they converted it and in 1964 it opened its doors as the Dragonara Palace Casino.

In the 1970s the property was acquired by the government, which still owns it, but on 15th February 1999 it granted a 10 year concession to Dragonara Casino Ltd to manage and operate the casino.

On the 10th June 1999 the Casino reopened after a Lm2 million refurbishment programme and since then has strengthened its share in the market and improved the overall offer to its customers through Accor Casino and its Maltese partners.

Accor Casinos as from the 1st January 05 has merged with Groupe Lucien Barriere and have now become the largest casino operator in Europe with 38 casinos and 11 luxury hotel resorts.





	history The Dragon’s lair – a brief history The Dragonara Palace was built in 1870 as a summer residence for Emanuele Scicluna, a banker who was made a marquis in 1875 on the strength of a loan to Pope Pius IX. A central courtyard, later roofed over to house the main gaming hall, contained flowerbeds and fountains around which the interconnecting rooms of the colonnaded palace were built. A semi-circular staircase leads to the main entrance, which is guarded by two pharaonic statues. The palace got its name from the promontory it stands on, which means dragon’s lair. Folklore tells that a dragon lived in the caves and hollows hereabouts, but the noises were no more than the sound of crashing waves. During the Dardanelles campaign of the First World War, the palace was used as an officer’s hospital for the wounded from Gallipoli. And during the inter-war years it became a centre for the arts and it even had its own orchestra. It reverted to being a sanctuary during the Second World War as a home for bomb refugees. In the early 1960s an Anglo-German company leased the palace and its grounds from the Scicluna Family. After extensive alterations they converted it and in 1964 it opened its doors as the Dragonara Palace Casino. In the 1970s the property was acquired by the government, which still owns it, but on 15th February 1999 it granted a 10 year concession to Dragonara Casino Ltd to manage and operate the casino. On the 10th June 1999 the Casino reopened after a Lm2 million refurbishment programme and since then has strengthened its share in the market and improved the overall offer to its customers through Accor Casino and its Maltese partners. Accor Casinos as from the 1st January 05 has merged with Groupe Lucien Barriere and have now become the largest casino operator in Europe with 38 casinos and 11 luxury hotel resorts.