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CR79-p08-cecis1:SJC-Casino Review 19/4/09 01:48 Page 1
internationalcasinoreview
Power cut dampens
Saturday night
Bad Neuenahr south of Bonn
endured a power cut that
lasted three-and-a-half hours
on 21 March. In the casino the
News
slot machines all stopped
working, many still loaded with
credit and prizes - despite free
drinks and a party atmosphere,
some players decided to go
home. The casino kept a record
of who was playing where and
EUROPE CENTRAL, EAST & CIS
reimbursed guests when they
next came in.
Jobs at forest
casinos
chopped
Even as huge investments are being made in two locations belonging
to the state-owned Bavarian Casinos in a bid to make them
more attractive, significant numbers of jobs at the venues are being
lost as a result of fewer visitors and much lower spending.
rottenluck ian casinos or other “finan- wall that separates table
GERMANY cial solutions”: according to gaming from the slot machine
Horak there will be no com- area rebuilt in glass and
Two casinos in the southern- pulsory redundancies. smoking and non-smoking
most German state of Bavaria The staff reductions come areas created.
are to lose 24 jobs between after casinos across the entire Horak said: “We are doing
them in a move that presi- state saw income fall by more this not only because it is
dent of the state-owned than 20 per cent. The required by law, but also
company Erwin Horak says smoking ban imposed last because we want to secure
will ensure the survival of year has been cited as the jobs as far as possible and
the venues as the recession principal reason - Bavaria will are focused and engaged in
Bad Steben casino will lose
continues. rescind the law as it applies working to preserve the 12 jobs but gain a new
The two casinos affected to casinos by August this year venue.” internal glass wall
are Bad Steben and Bad Kötzt- - but also competition from Another 12 jobs of 63 are
ing in the Frankenwald (Fran- the internet and from the to go at Bad Kötzting - and
conian Forest) and Bavarian Czech Republic. again the casino will see drop in visitor numbers: in ernment’s measures against across the whole country. For
Forest respectively, both fairly At the same time, however, E600,000 spent on refurbish- addition to the smoking ban, gambling addiction.” the state’s easterly casinos,
close to the Czech border. many casinos are getting ing and updating the casino. which led many guests to Bavaria was one of the the threat from Czech
The 12 jobs going at Bad investment in order to help Horak said: “2008 was not a migrate across the border, the states most keen on the inter- casinos, where there are far
Steben represent more than them attract players once good year in Bad Kötzting. expansion in the number of state treaty on gambling, fewer restrictions on guest
20 per cent of workforce: the again. At Bad Steben, for There were many reasons for commercial arcades and which combined with the activities, has been providing
workers will either be example, a E250,000 project the 33 per cent fall in rev- internet casinos has also other restrictions has had material competition for
offered jobs in other Bavar- is to start that will see the enues and the 20 per cent played a role as have the gov- such an impact on casinos many years.
Baden-Baden Tax office
hosts the fraudster
NATO summit imprisoned
vipvenue preparation for the NATO justdesserts control systems in the
GERMANY dinner was the longest GERMANY casino, falsified reporting
since it re-opened after the slips in order to divert
One of Germany’s most Second World War, due to The lynchpin of a fraud at money into his pockets and
beautiful casinos, Spielbank the extraordinary security Hanover Casino, a state those of his ten other con-
Baden-Baden, played host considerations required to tax official who worked spirators, including
to the West’s leaders, protect some of the world’s at the venue, has been machine technicians and
including US President leaders. Normally the casino sentenced to four-and-a- other back-office employ-
Barack Obama, for a is closed only for seven half years’ prison at the ees. 14 were originally
working dinner during the days across the whole year. end of a lengthy trial for charged but three were
recent NATO summit, oblig- The clear-up operation embezzlement, bribery acquitted. The others have
ing it to close for seven began immediately after the and tax evasion. all been sentenced either to
days. leaders left, however, the The man, known only as prison terms or probation.
The dinner took place on 3 operator, Baden-Württem- Ingo B, had pleaded guilty Ingo B’s sentence was
April in the Florentine Room, a bergische Spielbanken, has
The NATO working dinner was held at in the
to his part in a scam that the heaviest. The presid-
magnificent painted chamber decided to take the oppor- magnificent Florentine Room at Casino Baden-Baden cost the casino and the state ing judge Ulrich Schmidt
that normally houses roulette tunity, while the tables are more than E270,000 over a said that this was a partic-
tables. The four in that room, out of the way, to refurbish two-year period ending in ularly severe case of dis-
as well as two in the Winter- the Florentine Room which casino is proud and happy the Florentine Room during the summer of 2005. The 56- honesty, however, given
garden Room were disman- re-opens at the end of April. to have received the heads the celebrations of the 60- year-old, who was the man’s full confession,
tled for the event. Otto Wulferding, manag- of state and government of year existence of the employed by the state to he suspended six months
The casino’s closure in ing director, said: “The NATO member states in organisation.” monitor the financial of the prison term.
8 May 2009 • europecentraleast&cisnews
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