Images | Photographs of Portugal: Casino Estoril Sign
Estoril on the western coast of Portugal has one of the largest casinos in Europe. The resort town attracts weathy holiday-makers from the Portuguese capital and the rest of Europe drawn to its warm winter climate.
The first stone of the building 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.
