European Casinos--World's Finest
by Gayle Mitchell
It's summertime and some travelin' gamblin' players head for Europe where the currency is priced right and the world's finest, historical casinos await. The rest of us can dream about this casino experience while staring at our computer monitors...let's go.....
Europe offers new cultures, new vistas, new experiences, and now more countries have casinos--double bonus!
Information is correct at time of writing, as per information received from casinos-hotels; but may change. Most casinos have an entrance fee and are not open 24 hours.
Following is a listing of the finest 4 star+ casinos by country with addresses, tel-fax. numbers and games offered (G=).
Most have web-sites and can be searched easily if url not provided below.
SYMBOLS: GAMES=G. B=BACCARAT. BJ=BLACKJACK. CF=CHEMIN DE FER. CR=CRAPS. LIR=LET IT RIDE. MB=MINI-BACCARAT. PB=PUNTO BANCO. . P=POKER. RL=ROULETTE. SB=SIC-BO. SL=SLOTS (includes VideoPoker).
DCJ=DRESS CODE-JACKET REQUIRED. EY=ENTRANCE FEE REQUIRED. H=HOURS, open and close times, later on weekends. ?=no specific closing time. HC=HOTEL IN CASINO. CASINO SIZE (MSF)=thousands square feet. PS=PRIVATE SALONS-ROOMS. T=TELEPHONE#. F=FAX#. W=WEBSITE.
All the following are internationally renown and the clientele the same. Jet-set, new and old money, rock stars, superstars-celebrity spotting is not uncommon, especially for the common folk at these casino palaces.
France-Casino de Deauville-Blvd Lornuche, 14800, Deauville, France. T: 02-31-143114 F: 02-31-143115 HC, EY, 44MSF, PS, G=B, BJ, CF, CR, PB, RL, SL, H: 11am-2am, weekends-4am. W: www.casinos.fr./wcas/wwwDeuv.html -- in French, lots of information, also other French casinos. Located approximately 90 mins north of Paris, on the Normandy beaches. Palatial is not a strong enough word, the outside view is reminiscent of the Palace de Versailles, set amongst carefully tended gardens. French and American roulette (why would anyone play double zeros when a single zero table is available in the same casino?). Le Regine's Disco-extraordinaire. Race-course, marina, regattas, and a sandy beach. Promenade des Planches-boardwalk extending along the seafront; watch where you're walking while looking for the "beautiful" people. Stay around for the evening spectacle when the lights go on, and the diamonds come out to shine. Parisians flock to this location. Special events are scheduled for Aug. 15 (Assumption), and of course July 14th (Bastille day), also movie stars are easy to spot during the American Film Festival held the first week in September. The population in the area can swell to 250,000. Nearby Trouville, a less tonier sister city also offers a casino. Normandy Hotel is linked via passageway to casino.
Germany-Baden-Baden Spa and Casino-Kaiserallee, 1-76530 Baden-Baden. T: 07221-21060 F: 07221-210654. HC, EY, 32MSF, PS, G=B, BJ, CF, P, RL, SL, W: www.casino-baden-baden.de/ H: daily-except 6 holidays per year-2 pm -- 2 am, weekends 2pm-3 am. Location: situated in Black Forest, southwest area of Germany. Several gaming rooms are patterned after the imperial palaces of France. Winter Garden room is the inviting entrance to the casino, Austria Room, Red Room, and Salon Pompadour are but a few. The first casino in Germany has seen many famous patrons-Aga Khan, Dostoyevsky, Kaiser Wilhelm 1; and Marlene Dietrich exclaimed "this is the most beautiful casino in Europe". Gaming rooms open at different times. Blackjack-4-5 pm, roulette-2pm, American roulette-6 pm, baccarat-3pm or 6 pm, poker-8 pm. gaming lessons available. A separate area for slot players-2pm-11 pm, midnight on the weekends, admission-2 dm. Casino tours are also available for 5 dm. History, elegance, and gaming tables all rolled into one tour. Along with your passport ID, be prepared to sign a debt guarantee note for any debts, maximum DM 20,000. Famous hot-springs beckoning European royalty back to Roman times nearby.
Italy-1) San Remo Casino-Corsi Ingelsi, 16 San Remo 18038, Italy. T: 0184-534001. F: 0184-531882 . EY, DCJ, PS, G=B, BJ, RL, SL, H: noon-slots, 8pm-tables. Location-Italian Riviera-35 miles from Nice Largest resort on the Italian Riviera. Turn-of-the century European style when Alfred Nobel, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Czar Alexander II were patrons. 2)Casino de la Vallee-St. Vincent, Valle d'Aosta. T: 0166-3541 F: 0166-201449 EY, 43MSF, PS, G=B, BJ, CR, P, PB, RL, SL, H: 3pm-3 am, weekends 4 am. Northern Italy-55 miles N. of Turin. Ultra-modern and high-roller heaven. International celebrities are VIP card holders offered the private salons. International ski resort and summer trout fishing. There are 4 casinos in Italy, the other two are in Venice-Lido area.
Spain-Casino Torrequebrada-POB 67, 29630 Benalmadena Costa, Malaga, Spain. T: (95) 2446000 F: (95) 244164 e-mail: marbella@interconti.com HC, EY, DCJ, PS, G=B, BJ, PB, RL, SL, H: 8 pm-4 am. Location-Costa del Sol-12 kms from Malaga airport. Very large principal room and smaller salons for private games. Slots-large progressive jackpots offered. Casino languages-French, English and Spanish. Nearby Marbella is southern Spain's sandbox for the rich and famous, meeting at Fortuna Nightclub. Gossip magazines have paparazzi in Marabella, and the Costa del Sol awaiting the next big scoop.
Holland Casino Scheveningen-Kurhausplein 1, Scheveningen, 2587RT, Netherlands. T: 070-306-7777 F: 070-306-7888 HC, EY, 36MSF, G=B6, B, BJ, LIR, P, PB, RL, SB, SL, H: hrs. 2pm-2 am. Scheveningen is next to The Hague on North Sea coast. Languages: Dutch, French, English and German. Slots, with large progressive jackpots and Bingo. Largest of all the Dutch casinos. Historic beach hotel, pier and amusement park.
Moscow-Casino Royal, Begovaya Ulitsa, Moscow, 125284. T: 095/945-1963 F: 095/945-1854 EY, DCJ, 10MSF, G=B, BJ, P, RL, SL, H: noon-4am-slots, 8pm-4am-tables. Located in the Hippodrome, built for Nicholas I, a floating casino.The casino gambler won't be able to keep track. Casinos, albeit some very small, are everywhere in this city with numbers equal to Las Vegas. Savoy, Metropole, Mezhdunarodnaya Hotels have casinos, as well as the cities of St. Petersburg, and Kiev. Cabs available between major hotels. Warning: don't carry or flash a lot of cash in casinos.
Hope you enjoyed our whirlwind tour of Europe. Casinos are not the same everywhere as you can see, however----Vive la difference.
Bonne Chance et au revoir.
Gayle Mitchell is author of Casino Gambling Made Easier books, booklets and strategy cards.
