Casino de Saxon

Site Canton of Valais · District: Martigny · Uninhabited site (municipality of Saxon)

Part of the municipality of Saxon

Origin of the name Founding Historical timeline Must-see historical sites Sources and references Nearby villages

Origin of the name Casino de Saxon

The casino grew out of the Saxon baths, which earned the locality the name Saxon-les-Bains. The municipal concession of 1845 speaks of a casino or « Cercle des Etrangers ».^[1][2]

Founding of Casino de Saxon

The casino grew out of the use of an iodine and bromine spring, which the Martigny doctor Maurice Claivaz began to study in 1836. A modest spa opened at the end of the 1830s. Gaspard de Sépibus, owner of the land and springs from 1842, obtained from the municipality in 1845 the concession for a casino reserved for foreigners, then a thirty-year concession. Joseph Fama, who took over the business in 1853, made it a luxurious establishment with a hotel, theatre and roulette. The arrival of the railway in 1860 turned Saxon into a fashionable cosmopolitan centre. The ban on games of chance in the Federal Constitution of 1874 led to the closure of the casino in 1877. The building, bought back by the municipality in 2008, now hosts shows and a croupiers' school.^[1][2][3][4]

History of Casino de Saxon

1836. The doctor Maurice Claivaz, of Martigny, begins to take an interest in the Saxon spring.^[2]

1839. First spa establishment. In June the water is tested with the pharmacists Wyder and Bérenger.^[1][2]

1840. On 1 June a small building with eight bathing cabins opens.^[2]

1841. On 18 May the baths are declared of public utility. The Hôtel des Bains is built in 1841-1842.^[2]

1842. On 18 October Gaspard de Sépibus becomes owner of the land and the springs.^[2]

1845. On 20 July the municipality grants Sépibus the concession for a casino or « Cercle des Etrangers ». The first building is constructed.^[1][2]

1847. On 20 January a new thirty-year concession, approved by the Council of State on 11 January 1848. The casino opens to foreigners only.^[2][3][4][5]

1853. In October Sépibus hands over the business to Joseph Fama, naturalised as a Valais citizen in January of the same year (1855 according to other sources).^[2][3][4][5]

1855. Opening of a hotel and a luxurious casino with a theatre, concert hall, roulette and other games. The water of Saxon is shown at the Paris Universal Exhibition.^[2][4]

1861. Joseph Fama builds the second building, after the arrival of the railway in 1860. Statutes of the Société anonyme de Saxon-les-Bains.^[1][2]

1865. On 24 June the Société des Bains et du Casino de Saxon is founded with a capital of 600'000 francs.^[2]

1874. The new Federal Constitution bans games of chance.^[2]

1877. The casino is closed by decision of the federal authorities. The last « rien ne va plus » is called on the last night of the year.^[1][2][3][4]

1949. The radical brass band La Concordia buys the casino and converts it. Gambling later resumes there.^[4]

1996-2002. Temporary reopening of a gaming room, closed in 2002 for lack of a concession.^[1][5]

2008. The municipality of Saxon buys back the casino.^[4][5]

2010. The casino is let to various companies: a croupiers' school, shows, cabarets, concerts, a nightclub and a restaurant.^[4][5]

Historic sites in Casino de Saxon

Casino building. Building bought back by the municipality in 2008 and turned into a performance venue. The second casino had been built in 1861 by Joseph Fama. Garibaldi and Dostoevsky were among the casino's visitors in the 19th century.^[1][2][3][4]

Spring of the baths. Iodine and bromine spring from which the spa grew. A tradition identified it with a spring known to the Romans and called the « Fontaine aux croix », after the crosses planted following cures.^[2]

Sources

This page was last updated on 22.10.2026

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