"This is really a stray bullet," said Philippe Bon, the general delegate of Casinos de France, an organization that represents five of Paris's seven gaming clubs. These establishments may have to close their doors on December 31, when their operating licenses expire, resulting in the loss of 1,200 jobs.
Gaming clubs, which offer only table games (slot machines and roulette are forbidden), were initially authorized in 2017 for a three-year trial period with the aim of cleaning up gambling in the Paris region. The experiment was then extended until December 31, 2024, so its impact over three full years (post-Covid) could be assessed. However, the political crisis this past summer prevented the evaluation from happening. A provision in the draft budget bill proposed extending the trial until December 31, 2025, but the measure was abandoned following the collapse of former prime minister Michel Barnier's government, earlier this month.
"There's a sense of shock among the employees. It came out of nowhere, and the consequences are very uncertain," said Kevin Lafon, the assistant secretary of the casinos and gaming clubs division of the FEC-FO labor union. "In a few weeks, just because of an administrative injustice, their jobs will be threatened." "We don't know what to say to our staff. It's so sudden," said Sébastien Leclercq, the general director of the Circus Casino group in France, which runs the Circus Club in Paris's 16th arrondissement (150 employees). "There are about 10 couples in the company – families with children. Imagine this happening at the end of the year."
Partial unemployment
"The clubs provide 1,200 full-time jobs, plus up to 300 additional jobs during events," said Bon. "Hundreds of croupiers were supposed to be hired for the PokerStars European Poker Tour next February. It has already been canceled because of the situation," said Lafon.
The circumstances are all the more surprising given that the clubs, whose gross gaming revenue amounts to €120 million, contribute €40 million a year in taxes to the state and €10 million more to the City of Paris. During the debates about the revenue section of the 2025 budget bill, some amendments even proposed increasing taxes on these establishments.
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