Parisian gaming clubs, known as cercles de jeux, finally reopened at the weekend after a two-month closure.
They had been caught in the legislative crossfire of the political fallout in France when Michel Barnier’s government was overthrown by a motion of censure. However, on February 27, the Official Journal published a decree, signed by the Prime Minister ‘containing various provisions relating to gaming establishments’ allowing them to reopen. A second decree, signed by the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, took up the modifications made by Parliament with the vote on the 2025 Finance Act, including the extension period of the experiment until 2027.
Grégory Rabuel, President of Casinos de France, said: “The resumption of activity was eagerly awaited to put an end to the difficulties and the climate of uncertainty suffered by the almost 1,500 employees and the seven establishments in the capital, which are emerging weakened. The profession would like to salute the action of the State services, in particular those of the Ministry of the Interior which mobilized to reduce the duration of the closure as much as possible and those of the Ministry of Labor, Health, Solidarity and Families for the granting of provisions relating to partial unemployment.”
Casinos de France regrets, however, that this reopening takes the form of a new experiment, which only partially meets the expectations of the operators. “The experiment, which has already lasted seven years, had nevertheless perfectly fulfilled the objectives set in 2017 by the legislator, according to a Government report sent to Parliament last January, which recommended in conclusion to perpetuate the status. This three-year extension, voted during the joint committee, thus surprised the players in the sector and cannot constitute a long-term solution. A lasting legislative solution is essential to provide professionals in the sector with a stable framework conducive to job-creating investments and better tax revenues for the budgets of the State and the city of Paris,” Mr Rabuel added.
Beyond the sustainability of the gaming clubs’ activity, the professional union is also asking that they be able to offer a roulette activity, which is currently not authorised in Parisian establishments.
“It is also becoming necessary to authorize traditional roulette games through regulatory channels, to ensure the economic viability of gaming clubs and to combat an underground activity that has resurfaced over the last two months in the capital,” Mr Rabuel added.
“We are delighted for our employees and our establishments that gaming clubs will soon reopen. A social and economic catastrophe was narrowly avoided thanks to the effective support of the public authorities. However, the relief is only partial, because this new extension cannot be a long-term solution. This is why we are requesting the sustainability of gaming clubs as soon as possible, but also the authorization of roulette in our establishments.”
French news outlet Journal des Casinos said: “This is a relief for the clubs, which must now rebuild their teams in two days. Around 1,500 employees were put on partial unemployment at the beginning of January, with the closure of the seven Parisian establishments.”
Seven clubs are currently active in the capital, which according to Journal des Casinos achieved a GGR of €107.252m during the 2022-2023 financial year. The first is the Pierre Charron Club (€22.163m) ahead of the Paris-Élysées Club of the Tranchant group (€20.259m) and the Club Champs-Élysées of the Barrière group (€19.772m). The fourth is the Imperial Club of the Raineau group (€18.903m), the fifth the Circus Club Paris of the Circus group (€15.210m), the sixth the Club Montmartre (€9.059m) and finally, seventh, the Punto Club of the Partouche group, (€1.883m). The Royale club opened by the Joa group at the start of the Covid crisis, in January 2020, closed in June 2021. Among the games played last year in clubs, Punto Banco is in the lead, with 35.53 per cent of the GBR, followed by Ultimate Texas Hold’em Poker (26.81 per cent), then Poker 21 (17.69 per cent), Texas Hold’em Poker (14.59 per cent) and Omaha (3.79 per cent) for the main games.
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Parisian gaming clubs, known as cercles de jeux, finally reopened at the weekend after a two-month closure. They had been caught in the legislative crossfire of the political fallout in France when Michel Barnier’s government was overthrown by a motion of censure. However, on February 27, the Official Journal published a decree, signed by the…
The post Paris clubs get green light to reopen following agreement of two government decrees appeared first on G3 Newswire.