Will Paris be completely gambling-free in 2025? Also a model for Germany?

Paris is world-famous for the Moulin Rouge, the glamorous cabaret, the Eiffel Tower light show, the creative street performers in Montmartre or the iconic theaters of the Opéra Garnier. These sights are an expression of the cultural openness of a city that is always at the forefront of art and entertainment. When it comes to gambling, however, the city is no joke. In fact, casinos have long been banned - and now even the so-called gambling clubs may have to close. Would it be conceivable to make Berlin gambling-free too?

Paris - the city of love, art and the good life. Here you can not only climb the Eiffel Tower or watch the dazzling dancers at the Moulin Rouge, but also spend hours watching the world go by in charming cafés. But while the city is delightfully liberal when it comes to wine, cheese and cabaret, it doesn't take a joke when it comes to gambling. For over a hundred years, classic casinos have been taboo in the French capital - a law passed in 1917 put a stop to the whole thing. In short: the government wanted to protect the population from the potential negative effects of gambling.

But now everything is on the brink, as the permits are expiring and an extension has been rejected. This raises exciting questions: Will Paris really become completely gambling-free (only in terms of stationary offerings, of course)? And could such a model also work for other cities - let's say Berlin?

Of aviators, clubs and shady deals: the turbulent history of Parisian gambling circles

It almost sounds like a movie plot: gambling, money laundering, shady characters and a hint of nostalgia. In fact, however, it is the real story of the Parisian gambling circles and gambling clubs that helped shape the flair of the capital for over a century. The French Ministry of the Interior has traced this history in detail in a dossier.

It all began during the First World War, when British airmen founded the first "English club" in 1917. There they bet over a game of billiards or gambled at the gaming tables - and the idea took off like a bomb. More and more of these clubs soon followed, with not only Brits but also Americans and Australians placing their bets. Speaking of "betting": Last summer, we took a look at how well the 2024 Olympic Games in France went down with betting fans.

The rules? A little vague

in 1923, France passed a law to regulate these gambling circles. Officially, they were "non-profit clubs" whose income was to be used exclusively to pay players, taxes, rents and salaries. Sounds honest, doesn't it? In practice, however, things looked very different:

1. The bank always wins: one of the players bought a table at auction and became the "banker". He managed the other players' bets, so to speak, and paid them out if they won. Seems fair, but it wasn't always. Because the bankers were often front men - secretly paid by the actual operators of the circles, who really cashed in behind the scenes.
2. Money under the table: wins flowed discreetly back to the club owners, while employees were paid in cash to avoid social security contributions. And much of the money went straight to Corsica, where it ended up in "banditry and corruption". Yes, Corsica had a hand in it: as thanks for their role in the resistance, Corsicans were often put in charge of casinos after the Second World War.

The end of the gambling circles

the big turning point came in 2008: With new laws against money laundering and increased pressure from the authorities, the end of the often shady dealings began. The final straw came in 2018, when the last of the famous circles, the Clichy-Montmartre, was closed due to tax fraud and money laundering. Names such as the Aviation Club de France or Club Wagram - once legendary - are now only part of history.

Trying to do better with gambling clubs

To keep illegal gambling dens at bay, Paris experimented with legal gambling clubs from 2018. Reputable companies such as the Barrière Group were given the green light to operate ethical clubs.

• This is what can be played: Poker, punto banco and other classic table games are on the list, but slot machines are not.
• Today: There are still seven such clubs, including the Club Pierre Charron and the Paris Élysées Club. However, they are also threatened with closure - the licenses are unlikely to be renewed in 2025.

We recently reported that online casinos are not expected to be legalized in France for the time being.

Last round for the Paris gambling clubs? Future uncertain - and hundreds of jobs at risk

The Paris gambling clubs were never intended to be a permanent solution. Originally, the experiment was supposed to end in 2021, but a blind eye was turned and the license was extended.

It even looked quite good: A draft budget bill planned to legalize the clubs in the long term. But then came the big surprise: the bill failed, the prime minister stumbled over a vote of no confidence and had to resign. The result? The gambling clubs are facing the end.

• Grégory Rabuel, General Director of the Barrière Group, expressed his complete surprise in an interview with Ouest France: "We are perplexed and are calling on the government to find a solution quickly."
• Several clubs have already submitted applications to allow short-time working for their employees - at least until the political situation is clarified and a new budget is passed. But whether and when this will happen is still up in the air.

For the clubs themselves, it could mean: "Rien ne va plus". But the final chapter of this story has probably not yet been written.

Berlin without casinos? Probably not - the conditions are too different for that

The idea that Berlin, like Paris, would suddenly have to completely abandon gambling is quite unrealistic in practice.

• Not an experiment, but a tradition: unlike in Paris, where the gambling clubs were intended as a temporary test run, casinos are firmly established in Germany and have always been permitted. The idea of simply "shutting them down" is not even up for debate in this country.
• Clear laws: While Paris "pulled the plug" in 1917 because gambling was barely regulated, Germany has had a tightly meshed network of rules in place for decades. The authorities keep an eye on licensing, security and prevention so that "shady dealings" don't stand a chance.
• New perspective unlikely: A completely new law would be needed to abolish casinos and gambling halls in Berlin. And someone would first have to provide a watertight justification for this. Today, such legislation is hardly conceivable because casinos are already more strictly regulated than many other sectors.

Of course, anything is possible in politics (the industry recently voiced clear criticism of the "standstill" in the German gambling market, which was also caused by politics). Who knows, maybe one day there will be a legislative proposal on the table to abolish gambling in Berlin altogether. But that would be a mammoth project that would have to overcome any number of legal hurdles. And let's be honest: as long as the current regulation in Germany proves its worth, a complete ban on gambling is probably more a topic for science fiction than for the next legislative period.

Also interesting on the subject of stationary gaming: How can you open an arcade and what does it cost to operate?

Source of the image: https://pixabay.com/photos/bar-interior-luxury-design-601303/

Central text sources: https: //www.interieur.gouv.fr/actualites/grands-dossiers/jeux-interdits-et-autorises/des-cercles-aux-clubs, https://www.ouest-france.fr/economie/entreprises/a-paris-les-clubs-de-jeux-vont-devoir-fermer-a-cause-de-la-censure-du-gouvernement-847e8ece-b7bf-11ef-ab9f-bc1b3bcb740d, https://www.lesechos.fr/industrie-services/services-conseils/les-clubs-de-jeux-parisiens-menaces-de-fermeture-quasi-immediate-2137042, https://www.bfmtv.com/economie/entreprises/les-clubs-de-jeux-parisiens-devront-fermer-le-1er-janvier-a-cause-de-la-censure_AV-202412110410.html