CR59-p14-Euro 8:SJC-Casino Review 19/8/07 13:48 Page 1
casinoreview
Luxembourg’s Casino 2000 at environment ministry since The first half of 2007 has seen the number of visitors to the Grand
Mondorf-les-Bains has won 2004 shortly after it began the Casino Baden rise by 13.8 per cent over the same period in 2006,
prestigious recognition in the scheme. Director General
Visitor
to 240,000. The Gross Gaming Revenue figures have also risen as
form of a Luxembourgeois Guido Berghmans said: “This
numbers
a result, though more modestly. They are up 5.8 per cent to 52.8m
quality mark for the ecological scheme is part of our
grow at
francs (32.5m euros) compared to the 50.2m francs (30.1m euros)
way in which it deals with its movement towards ISO9001 recorded in the first six months of 2006. The casino continues to
Casino 2000 wins
waste, which it separates at certification, which we expect GCBaden develop its offering for players. In August, it had Atronic’s multi-level
environmental recognition source. The casino has to achieve in November.” jackpot game Cash Fever installed. The jackpot is playing off nine
submitted to monitoring by the machines offering prizes of between 30 francs and 15,000 francs.
While Germany’s gaming industry is Grand Casino
tearing its hair out over internet
gambling, the Aquamarin Casino Baden takes
Seevetal in Lower Saxony is now
pioneering intranet gambling in a poker no-
new ‘eLounge’ and has adapted
online technology to
smoking
achieve it.
nosmokerpoker
SWITZERLAND
One of Switzerland’s premier casinos,
Grand Casino Baden, has barred
smoking from all its poker tables having
had excellent feedback from players in
the other non-smoking area of the
casino. The ban came into effect on
August 1.
“The reaction from the poker players
has been quite good,” said
spokeswoman Susann Knöpfel. “They
have been discussing it on various
websites and the large majority seem to
appreciate what we’ve done.”
The five poker tables at Grand Casino
Baden are in a separate room from the
main gaming floor. The ban, however,
applies only to smoking at the tables.
“Players can still smoke at the bar in the
room,” said Knöpfel.
Seevetal Casino brings
The other non-smoking area in the
casino is also to be extended from
September 1. Located in the basement
slots area, the smoke-free area currently
the internet indoors
covers two banks of machines but will
extend to cover four banks from
September, making the room roughly
one-third non-smoking.
“We’ve relied very much on our
newwave signed interstate treaty on gambling which internal communications systems to get
GERMANY aims to limit access to online gambling in the message across about what we’re
order to protect players. doing and why we’re doing it,” said
The Aquamarin Casino Seevetal, the sea- The decision surprised and disappointed Knöpfel. “That, in combination with
themed electronic casino at Hittfeld on the many in the industry, who were hoping to letting the press know, seems to have
outskirts of Hamburg, has come up with an learn from the operation of an online casino worked very well.”
undoubted first: an ‘eLounge’ gaming room linked to real-world, respected German
that houses an electronic poker table and operator that had been designed with player
terminals at which players can play the full protection measures in place from the start.
range of casino games on an intranet. It Co-locating the PokerPro table, which
opened on August 17. has already been in operation with much
CyberGame, is the first virtual intranet director of the company Rainer Chrubassik. success for a month, with the intranet ter-
casino in Germany. As at the PokerPro table, CyberGame was developed by Casi- minals is designed to offer the complete
guests can use their smart cards to play noland GmbH, a subsidiary of Spielbanken online experience offline.
games offered at the highest technical level. Niedersachsen (itself part of the Casinos Chrubassik added: “With CyberGame and
CyberGame is a complete virtual casino Austria International group), as a full online the electronic poker table, our guests have a
with 28 games on offer, including roulette, casino. It has been slightly modified for in its legal, secure and state-controlled alternative to
blackjack and slots. Several of the games can intranet version. the illegal poker rooms and online casinos
be played with a minimum bet of 1¢. When CAI won the Lower Saxony licence operated by foreign providers on the internet.”
There are ten terminals, which mimic and bought the state’s ten casinos, it was The Aquamarin Casino Seevetal has been
exactly the internet experience. The system, also given the right to develop and operate open in its current form since 2004, when it
however, is not available over the internet, an online operation. Despite the site being underwent a massive refurbishment and
but based on a local server and only accessi- on the cusp of going live, in February this became an electronic gaming venue with
ble within Aquamarin Casino Seevetal. year the Lower Saxony government with- its dramatic aquatic theme. In addition to
“If this new project is successful, we will drew the operating licence in a move likely the new eLounge, there is also a full range of
No smoking at the poker tables of
also roll it out into other casinos in the Spiel- to cost the state upwards of 10m euros. The the latest slot machines to play as well as a Grand Casino Baden
banken Niedersachsen group,” said managing CDU administration cited the recently 14-seater NovoRoulette.
Venezia contributing to regeneration
centralposition During a visit to mark the palace that dates back to the furniture and paintings from the
MALTA venue’s sixth anniversary the min- Knight of St John and the late 17th time when the palace was built,
ister, Francis Zammit Dimech, century. The building was restored not to mention the all the gaming
Having attracted more than said: “The opening of the casino with a Lm1.6m (3.7m-euro) invest- equipment.
10,000 tourists to Malta since its has led to the beginning of the ment by Port Cottonera Ltd. Redevelopment of the Vitto-
opening, the Casinò di Venezia has Cottonera regeneration project Another Lm3m (6.9m euros) was riosa Waterfront is almost com-
been congratulated by the Maltese by two consortia that have worked invested in the development of plete and includes an apartment
minister for tourism and culture to create the beautiful Vittoriosa the casino, including on Morano block, a marina, restored shops, a
for its part in the regeneration of Waterfront.” glass chandeliers, a modern restau- complex of bars and restaurants
the Cottonera area. The casino is located in a former rant and kitchen, reproduction and landscaping.
14 September 2007 europeannews
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