Viva La Revolucion !

[ian]

I write 2 days before the 50th anniversary of Castro assuming power in Cuba.

An event that's almost certainly played a part in effecting the lives of almost everyone who's ever worked in the casino industry. If Castro had lost, Batista would have remained as President of Cuba and the casinos on the island would never have closed.

The owners and investors in those properties would then perhaps have been looking for pastures new, but would they have chosen Britain in the early 60's ? Would they have become interested in the Bahamas in the mid 60's if Cuba had become a fully fledged Las Vegas of the Caribbean ?


Castro himself is now an ill and aged man but on New Years Eve this year it's worth thinking that if he, his buddy Che Guevara and their motley outfit had been quietly wiped out in the Cuban mountains our lives would have possibly taken a different path.


Viva La Revolucion en Cuba !

Maybe. What do you think ?


Ian

[redcarded1]

Cuba could be a success story in the near future ?

[chensuriashi]

Perhaps the Hurricanes there will put people off, please choose Blackpool....

[ian]

Most of Cuba's casinos were looted and gambling equipment damaged during and after the New Year revolution. Castro however did eventually re-open them but the American tourists never returned.


Here is the description of a newsreel clip in the Reuters archive, it's got a few typo's but makes excellent reading.



CUBA: HAVANA: CASINO WORKERS CLEAN UP.
Clip Description:
http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//R...0314/?s=casino

Story

Visnews filmed marchers with banners protecting at the closure of Havana's casinos and cleaners working in them Feb 14 as soon as the Government order was made them.

Cuban foreign and domestic policies came under the influence of Castro this week. Castro, now Prime Minister installed his cabinet Feb 16.

The reopening of the casinos is a vexed question in Cuba. Most were openly run by so-called gangsters to help Batista's Treasury. Most rich customers were American tourists.

Castro until now was opposed to the casinos. When he marched on Havana, looters invaded the casinos, smashed them, stole any loose coins they could find.

George Raft, who as an American film star used to play gangster roles, ran one of these casinos. To show his support of the advancing Castro, he had the rebel flag hung from his office window.

The closing of the casinos brought the city's entertainment unions out in protest. To appease the jobless, Castro announced the casinos will be permitted to open. As under Batista, the American dollar staked on a gamble in Havana will soon help Castro's Treasury.

The gaming tables are being dusted, the roulette wheel solved. After the cleaners : the croupiers.

Date original 14 Feb 1959
Duration 23 ft
Technical 16mm



Photos of George Raft at the Capri can be found on Google images as part of the LIFE archive.

http://images.google.com/hosted/life...life%26hl%3Den


Ian