The first stone was laid on 16 January 1916 by then-President Dr.
Bernardino Machado, a venture of Fausto Figueiredo. During the
Second World War, it was reputed to be a gathering point for
spies, dispossessed
royals, and wartime adventurers; it became an inspiration for
Ian Fleming's
James Bond 007 novel
Casino Royale. The casino passed into the hands of José Teodoro dos Santos in 1958. During the 1960s, the primitive building was expanded, under the direction of Filipe Nobre de Figueiredo and José Segurado, accompanied by the civil engineer Manuel Agostinho Duarte Gaspar, and was decorated by Daciano da Costa and José Espinho. Inclusive of multiple casino properties, the management company Estoril Sol reported €80.6 million in net revenue for 2021. ==Architecture==