Casino Humboldt - Hotel Tamanaco Intercontinental

Casino Humboldt is Caracas' most representative and historically significant gaming establishment, the first to reopen in Venezuela after the absolute prohibition imposed by Hugo Chávez in 2011 and the symbol of the sector's reopening in the country. Originally inaugurated at Hotel Humboldt at the top of El Ávila, the imposing modernist hotel built in 1956 atop Cerro El Ávila dominating Caracas' northern horizon, the casino was temporarily relocated to Hotel Tamanaco Intercontinental in Las Mercedes while maintenance work is carried out on the cable car system connecting Hotel Humboldt with the city.

From Hotel Humboldt to Tamanaco: history of Caracas' most emblematic casino

Hotel Humboldt, designed by Venezuelan architect Tomás José Sanabria, is an iconic work of Latin American modernist architecture, with a 14-story cylindrical tower built at 2,140 meters altitude in Waraira Repano National Park. It was conceived as a luxury tourist destination in the context of Venezuela's 1950s oil boom. The casino installed there by Nicolás Maduro in January 2020 was the first to operate legally in Venezuela after a decade of prohibition, though paradoxically it was inaugurated with a poker tournament in dollars rather than the petros Maduro had announced. Casino Humboldt currently operates in the facilities of Hotel Tamanaco Intercontinental in Las Mercedes, one of Caracas' most active gastronomic and commercial areas, with formal or smart casual dress code and exclusive access for adults over 18.

Las Mercedes and Caracas' leisure ecosystem

Las Mercedes is Caracas' reference gastronomic and nightlife neighborhood, with a concentration of restaurants, bars, boutiques and entertainment spaces making it the favorite destination of Caracas' upper class and business tourism. Hotel Tamanaco Intercontinental, inaugurated in 1953 and one of Latin America's great historic hotels, complements with its five-star infrastructure the Casino Humboldt experience in the most exclusive setting of the Venezuelan capital. The casino is regulated by the National Commission of Casinos, Bingo Halls and Slot Machines (CNC) under the 1997 Casino Control Law.