A reopening, yet still no guarantee of permanent status – that was the verdict of the finance law passed on February 14 for Paris's seven gaming clubs. While the Conseil d'Etat reviewed the decree authorizing their reopening on Tuesday, February 25, the establishments – closed since January 1 – are still awaiting its official publication in the Journal Officiel. Nevertheless, they are preparing to welcome patrons again on February 28 or March 1.

Nearly all 1,200 full-time employees in the sector have been on partial unemployment since the start of the year, with the closure also affecting service providers such as valet staff, security personnel and cleaning crews. "It's a relief – the actions of the labor ministry and the ministry of the interior have helped limit the damage and ensured that the clubs will only remain closed for two months," said Dominique Dorgueil, federal trade union secretary for casinos and gaming clubs at the Fédération des Employés et Cadres Force Ouvrière (FEC-FO, Force Ouvrière Federation of Employees and Executives).

The circumstances surrounding the January closure had left both employees and management dismayed. In December, the censure of Michel Barnier's government and the abandonment of the initial 2025 finance bill had prevented the experiment from continuing.

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