POKER  EX CHANGE

You remember Isabelle Mercier, who aspires to this Victoriavilloise honors international poker tables? She has just concluded an agreement with the company “Poker Stars”, which will allow it to be several major tournaments around the globe.

The online poker firm Isabelle dress during his visits to the gambling tables and, in return, our representative does not pay a penny of his pocket to adhere to various tournaments.

If all goes as planned, it will be the European Poker Tour tournament of the Bahamas and the possible Canadian Poker Tour. “I hope to come home in a few months, with gains and interesting titles in his pocket,” she said.

After winning the tournament “Ladies Night II” in Los Angeles, Isabelle deserved a seat at the casino in Las Vegas in April, which will host the prestigious tournament by invitation only, for the various winners of the circuit’s “World Poker Tour “2004. The winner pocketed huge severance amount of $ 5 million.

In a few weeks, the Haute-Marne city will become owner of its thermal baths. A casino is under construction. Rejuvenation in the countryside.

BOURBONNE-LES-BAINS. – A little past noon on the central square of Bourbonne-les-Bains (Haute-Marne). There is something akin to the animation here. Gray hair sometimes covered with a towel, sweat as an uniform, seniors leave the spa where they come to complete the cure morning. Besides the menu, restaurateurs also display the list of takeaways. Stuffed tomatoes, shredded carrots, celery remoulade … In this large village (2,500 population) planted in the countryside, life goes on here as quietly as the source of happiness was already knee Roman invaders. At the entrance of the town, signs also have the menu: hot springs, rheumatism, functional rehabilitation, ENT.

Do not be fooled by appearances of the Angevin almost smooth. Bourbon-les-Bains is not humming. The city is full of projects that the first signs are now visible. The dealer changed the spa. On the doors, the labels have replaced those of Valvital Thermafrance. Place des Bains, a casino is under construction. The walls are already trained. As straight as maps of Black Jack. Planned opening in 2006. And, more importantly, the common sign in the months, even in the weeks ahead, the transfer of thermal state in the town.

Operations “painless”

Andre Noirot (UMP), mayor since 1989, does not hide his joy. He now sees the word interminable steps that, over time, had taken the appearance of a sea serpent in 1993 already, the opening “next” of a casino was announced. “And since the French Revolution, all councils have requested the transfer of the baths. We started the process again in 2002. We did not believe it too. But then, to our amazement, we were told yes. ” Andre Noirot out the calculator says. “The acquisition of the baths is traded on the basis of areas around more than five million. The concessionaire will pay us a royalty of 13% of the gross receipts, or almost € 760,000 annuity that will cover our debt. In ten years, our investment will be repaid. ” Secondly, this godsend, who took the leadership of the state coffers, will join that of the town. Regarding the casino, town hall there is also a virtually painless operation. Emeraude Group, which obtained the concession for 18 years, will pay between 7-10% of its turnover in the city according to its revenue. Which is low … “But the group supports the construction of the casino, which amounts to nearly 5.5 million. In the worst case, they should pay an annual return of 300,000 euros to the municipality. ” Casino and spa should ultimately generate over one million euros in additional annual revenue.

“We were spectators”

Of what to give, in addition to its water to 66.5 th, a beautiful shot in the arm Bourbonne-les-Bains. Like the others, the city Haute-Marne, “first resort north of the Loire, the tenth of France” (sic), has an annual erosion in the number of spa guests. “Between 1-2%,” says Andre Noirot, “In 1989, it climbed to 15,000. Today, we are at 12,300. Essentially, the clientele is composed of insured persons (95%) than older (60 to 80 years).

“It is clear that we must offer something beyond the cure,” says Colin Pascale, director of the tourist office, “People who come here want to take the time to live and live well.” Operations combined with Fayl Billot-Langres and have been mounted. The casino will bring with him the conference rooms, entertainment (400 places), dance (500) and film (250). This should attract a younger clientele. “While we were not owners of the baths, we were spectators,” says Andre Noirot. Today, Bourbon-les-Bains is preparing to turn to serve his own cure.

Nearly five months of work have allowed the casino to enjoy a total makeover. The property will now be more accommodating to its customers.

The comfort and quality of care, these are the two themes that were central concerns of Zaria Sorovic, director of casino Tréport throughout the renovation of this hotel. For nearly five months have enabled companies to propose a new face and new development in the casino. “The family Guivarch, owner before the takeover by the group in February 2003 Moliflor had done great things and we wanted to continue what she had committed,” says Sorovic which states that “the room of slot machines that she was created something extraordinary at its opening. But it was ten years ago. The customer expectations have changed and we wanted to meet their changing desires. ”

Regulars casino will probably be no trouble to change. They are now accommodated in a hall with mosaic tiled with green and white decor is directly inspired by the Baths of Plombieres. Crossed the hall, they discover a new space welcoming room of slot machines at the former site of billiards. These will join by the end of the old room of slot machines.

In so doing, and creating a large additional space through a veranda, the casino offers more space to its customers, without increasing the number of machines. “They are always 69, but they are arranged in 300 m3 instead of 200 before,” says the director. This space of 300 m2 is itself embedded in an open twice as large. All around machines, a large area furnished with comfortable armchairs and coffee tables can relax and enjoy the sea view and pool. A large bar built in the form of a boat hull throne prominently in this place between the bandits and the esplanade. The shades of mahogany, burgundy and chocolate dominate this space, which also hosts two tables ball. “Our goal was to offer our clients, whether players or not, the opportunity to have a good time. Take advantage of the casino entertainment through the restaurant, games, movies, or relaxation, “says Sorovic.

A new start for the ball

“The ball was clearly losing the last few years. Since June, we suggest these games with slot machines. Their position in the small room was not ideal, but we had no choice during construction. Despite the cramped quarters, we saw that a new customer would turn to this game Today, most young people who find the ball, “says Sorovic. Those who liked the cozy setting of the old hall will be a little disappointed because they will get used to the ringing of slot machines right next to them, but they have part-cons in the pleasure of playing in a more animated. Before the project proponents of this traditional game off again sometimes without trying their luck. Many were in fact those who passed the door of the room dedicated to the ball and, seeing that no player was already installed, preferred to turn back. Now it is rather the excitement that reigns in the vicinity of the cylinders numbered.

The old ball room was transformed into a multipurpose room. Again, the designer opted for warm tones that will be appreciated that all uses will find this room.

For the 70 additional slots is not! The gaming commission of the Ministry of Interior, last month, decided to refuse the application filed in April by casino d’Enghien. Management comes to know of this news not yet official. A halt of the development of armed bandits in Enghien, their momentum over the past two years.

After an initial batch of 130 machines granted in April 2002, the hall was indeed expanded to another 150 machines a year later, bringing the total to 280 aircraft. An insufficient number, the direction of Seeta (the company includes a casino, spa, the Grand Hotel and the Hotel du Lac), which has always focused on the need for 350 slot machines to cope with the large investments already completed or in progress (100 million euros for the renovation of the casino and reconstruction of the baths).

“The wait is too important weekend” Next month we will file a new application. The wait at slots is still too large at the weekend, at times of overcrowding, “says Director, Bruno Cagnon. An argument which does not appear to be sensitive this time the lottery commission. It also never justifies its decisions. The mayor, Philippe Sueur, a member of the higher commission games (note: it does not participate in decisions regarding casino d’Enghien), gives an initial explanation for this refusal: “It is not allowed additional slot machines at a casino in the year preceding the renewal of authorization to operate games, “he says. A license for five years to maturity will fall in 2005 in Enghien. First place at the head of the 180 casinos in France, awarded for the third consecutive year by Enghien (see inset) is not a coincidence. After allowing customers to drop the tie, which is no longer mandatory for almost a year, at the entrance to the hall of slot machines, Bruno Cagnon has made the same decision table games to facilitate the access. A real cultural revolution. The jeans are even allowed players to slot machines d’Enghien, which still remain the only ones in France to have to pay an entrance fee of 10-25 € depending on the day.

TORONTO (CP) – Of all addictions, compulsive gambling is one that causes the highest rate of suicide attempts, according to a representative of a Montreal firm that deals with the “gamblers”.

Because of the taboo that is still gambling today, very often the families do not confirm this dependence and suicides are attributed to a cause “other,” said Sol Boxenbaum, society Viva Consulting.

“For every suicide reported, there are four or five unreported, acted as spokesman. In Ontario, almost 15 suicides per year are linked to gambling in casinos, according to the chief coroner of the province, Barry McLellan. Two years ago there were only six. ”

McLellan’s comments followed a report last week that the people with gambling problems blazed to a third equivalent of $ 4 billion spent in casinos, racetracks and lottery kiosks Ontario .

The problem with gambling is that it is harder to detect than other addictions, “said service manager to control problem gambling of Toronto’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Nina Littman- Sharp.

“It’s not so obvious,” she mentioned. The people who play recklessly seem normal, they did not look drunk or disabled. ”

The center treats about 400 new patients per year for gambling. Less than 5 percent of the adult population suffer from problem gambling, but it is often the most vulnerable, “said Ms. Littman-Sharp.

“People who abuse drugs or medications, suffering from depression or anxiety are more likely to experience problem gambling”

Also, Sol Boxenbaum believes that accessibility to gambling contributes significantly to the problem.

“Previously, we had to go to Las Vegas and Atlantic City, it’s not like today where there is a casino within a 50 km radius of where you live.”

According to Statistics Canada, three-quarters of adult Canadians spent money in a form of gambling in 2002. More than one adult in 20 is likely to become “hooked” or was rendered.

But the game a lot relates to governments. $ 1.7 billion in 1992, it now generates revenues of $ 6 billion, according to agency statistics.

Casino Ribeauvillé, which has still not received official notification of openness, has just completed recruitment. The training of dealers began yesterday and the first customers are expected in January.

Franck, head of Horbourg Wihr, has always loved numbers. His ability in mental arithmetic is to oblige: he was hired as a croupier at the casino Ribeauvillé. At 28, after an accounting degree and experience as administrative agent, he learned yesterday the secrets of blackjack. “The dealer training lasts seven weeks. This job requires a good visual memory and a criminal record. Each dealer is the subject of an investigation of background information, “says Jacques Leveque, casino manager.

Five new dealers will be well trained, while five others have already qualified for a year. Recall that the institution should take office in January 2004 and the opening was postponed following a legal problem. “In total, around thirty people were recruited. These include a secretary physiognomist, responsible for identifying no-casino and to monitor the proper functioning of the games. “Everything is ready for the opening, which must take place on 1 January.

Jacques Lévêque would have liked to organize an inauguration ceremony for the New Year, but he has still not received official notification of the prefecture. “As interior minister has signed the authorization to open this summer, I thought to receive this notification earlier. We must be careful! “Said the former number 2 of the casino Niederbronn.

The first year, the casino will not Ribeauvillé slot. It takes a period of one year before you can install. The game room will have three tables and three blackjack tables, roulette English. The minimum bet is 5 or 10 €.

“The casino is not what it was twenty years ago. Many people are scared and imagine that this place is frequented by the mafia! We want to break down these barriers and show that the game is accessible to everyone, “says the director. Free orientation sessions will be offered for this purpose. Residents and tourists are expected to benefit from Ribeauvillé shuttle. It is true that the casino is far from the city and located in the countryside. Facilities include a restaurant and bar, that we can go without necessarily gamble.

Eventually, the Accor Group will build a hotel next to the casino. Hydrotherapy is also a component intended. But for this it will be even much patience …

A study at UQAM offers new avenues to treat the sick of the game says Stéphane.

Stephen has tried everything: the specialized therapy center-Dollar Cormier, public self-flagellation to Gambleurs Anonymous (GA) and even the voluntary registration of the exclusive club struck the casino. Yet he is unable to make a cross on the game even though he knows his disease may cost him his family. The solution? Take the player rather than as an individual but as a partner and head of a family, any initiative in Montreal who sowed the first seeds of Stéphane “long remission.”

Pathological gambling is a mental illness just like depression and, therefore, affect the entire family unit. When Stephane meets his credit cards in one night, that his wife and two children who suffer first, not him. Hence the idea of ??the Laboratory on the couple and sexuality at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM), which has undertaken to do away with misconceptions about the pathological gambler to regain all the perspective of the couple through a behavioral study.

Stephane and his wife, the approach was a revelation. “I tried Gambleurs anonymous, but I never liked the system. I do not like having to speak before the world and hear the world around me crying telling their daily blah blah, he says. At UQAM, it was more a kind of way. We learned to communicate better, understand each other better. ”

The gambling Stephanie was born with the advent of the casino in Montreal in 1994. Since then he has relapsed after relapse. The proposal for a workshop torque is decreased to point to the spouse of Stephan, who now refuses to live with “three children at home.” Is that the forgiveness of Stephane is fragile and it is unthinkable to entrust him with bank cards or credit without tempting the devil.

As evidence, he thought on the list of removed from the casino, he goes anyway. Come, will not it? It depends. “I tested the system on numerous occasions and it is not perfect. There are days when I ventured to go and where I was coming back full or empty pockets. Other days, I went and I did look in his eyes. How to do is get us to the side and tell us very nicely to leave, “says Stephen, who would like a more … muscular.

Given the impasse, common to most couples who are struggling with this disease, caregivers of the Laboratory on the couple and sexuality, Villeneuve and Vanessa Anic Anderson have developed a questionnaire and a two-day seminar to to give such couples the tools to communicate better. “It’s very interactive, we show techniques and it takes time to put into practice to promote their integration. The idea is to encourage listening, but also how to express themselves, “says Vanessa Villeneuve.

Supervised by Drs Gilles Trudel and Richard Boyer, the project will compare 120 pairs them to quantify the importance of communication in the couple to prevent relapse. The reverse is however not excluded. “While it seems obvious that a gambling problem will eventually affect the marriage relationship, it is also possible that communication problems in marriage can lead to pathological gambling. The relationship can play both ways, “suggests Dr. Trudel, psychologist and researcher at UQAM and Centre de recherche Fernand-Seguin (CRFS).

This hypothesis is particularly interesting study in people over 55 years. And for good reason. Since 1975, pathological gambling would have increased 45% in those over 65. “They have plenty of free time and the game can afford to fill a part,” says Dr. Trudel, who cares about the long-term consequences of such behavior. “People who are retired are often fragile, and when the game enters their lives, it often has more impact. Losing his fortune at age 25 is one thing, at age 65 is the end. ”

More generally, pathological gambling affects 2.1% of Quebec’s population (125,000 people). To these are added almost 500,000 players potentially pathological, is in the process of becoming. Problem gambling can lead to major depression, suicidal thoughts, debt, poverty, criminal behavior, loss of employment and a dysfunction in marriage can lead to separation or divorce.

For Dr. Trudel and Boyer, it is not outlandish to believe that cleaning up their daily and focusing on the supportive role played by non-playing spouse, participants will substantially reduce the possibilities of relapse. “We must not lose sight of a healthy couple relationship prevents various types of mental health problems and physical,” says Dr. Trudel.

Wife Stephanie, she believes. “I realize that I’m able to talk to him and tell him how I saw things,” she says. Best, Stephen became an open book for her. “I did not realize it the first time I lied because I did not care enough attention to her mood swings. Now, I know from her tone. ”

But the couple knows that all this remains very fragile. “The word ‘relapse’ re always surface. My last was three or four months and it haunts me, “Stéphane drops. In the meantime, fingers crossed.

The beaver is well known, build their dams with anything they can find the tooth.

In Louisiana, a family of these industrious rodents did not hesitate a moment to discover a bag full of banknotes. The bag was promptly torn and tickets to the barrier built home near Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The money came from a flight of more than $ 70 000 occurred last week in a casino in Greensburg. Investigators had conducted research for several days until they get their information indicating that the money had been launched into a creek.

Soon discovered, the luxury insulation was returned to the casino. It seems that the beavers have been very careful: all of the money was intact.

BERNE – The proceeds from table games is only a little over a quarter of gross profits of casinos in Switzerland. In European casinos, American roulette, blackjack and poker over a third of the results.

Since opening the first casino dealers in 2002, it is possible to play in Switzerland on a wide range of table games, writes the Swiss Casinos (FSC) said in a statement. But the slot machines keep players’ preference.

In 2003, casinos FSC members have made a crude product on games of 540 million francs, of which 151.5 million (28%) for games and 388.5 million (72%) for machines As. The results of the European Casino Forum show, for 502 casinos, gross proceeds of 2.8 billion euros for games (36%) and 4.9 billion for the PLC (64%).

Currently, 18 members of the FSC have a total of 225 gaming tables, of which 91 are devoted to American roulette and blackjack 78. These are the major casinos Type A Lugano (TI), Baden (AG), Montreux (VD) and Basel offering the largest number and widest selection of board games, said the FSC.

Those two will never to retire. Kerry Packer, sixty-six, and Stanley Ho, eighty-three years next week, before yesterday announced their decision to join forces to open new casinos in Asia. The richest man in Australia (a legacy of 3 billion at least) and the Hong Kong billionaire familiar with the game world’s first, boss of Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd.. (PBL), has the largest casino in the southern hemisphere, Crown in Melbourne, the second took forty years of a monopoly on gambling in Macau. Its nine casinos allowed him to build an empire in the former Portuguese colony. His case, Turismo de Macau Sociedade represented before the transfer of territory to China, two thirds of the GDP of Macao. Only now, the golden years of Stanley Ho now belong to the past. Beijing’s decision in 2002 to end its monopoly on gambling in the country dealt a severe blow to the father of seventeen children. The Chinese government has already granted two concessions to the giants of Las Vegas, Wynn Resorts and Galaxy Casino.

To better control by large groups of Nevada, this avid cha-cha-cha has chosen to approach the Australian Kerry Packer. Together, they will buy the majority of the future Park Hyatt Hotel & Casino, which opened its doors in 2006 in Macao. They will also take over the management of Mocha Slot Group, which leases nearly 500 slot machines in the former Portuguese colony. Eventually, the two partners will open new casinos in Macao, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan. What continue to satisfy for a long time, the passion play of two young entrepreneurs!