Revocation of Casino di Venezias Alleged Ploy by Competitors

An Italian MP has alleged that the revocation of the Casino di Venezia's license following wild celebrations marking Italy's World Cup victory could have been a ploy by the casino's competitors to jeopardize the Vittoriosa house of gambling.

The accusation has been denied by the Lotteries and Gaming Authority chief executive Mario Galea. The allegation was made by Michele Zuin, a representative of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party and a councilor for the town of Venice.

The Venice local council still controls a 40 percent stake in the Vittoriosa casino after selling 60 percent of its shares to the Maltese-regestered Bet Live Ltd.

Zuin expressed his doubts that the license had been merely revoked due to the excesses of a feast held in the wake of Italy's victory in the World Cup final in Berlin.

The Venetian local council still has a right to choose the director general of the casino. Mario Galea has denied the insinuations, insisting that the gaming authority was obliged to act because what happened in the casino was "intolerable."

Galea is one of the few people who know exactly what happened on the night, having seen a video recording the happenings. Majority shareholder Ferdinando Orlandi, who has also seen the video, gave a graphic description of events to the Gazzettino di Venezia. Orlandi also claimed that the video shows the casino's director Armando Favaretto participating in the wild feast.