Europe is a storehouse of gambling history and-if we do not take into account the United States, which is famous not only for Las Vegas, but also for many tribal casinos, the opening of which has recently been an enviable regularity-also a region with a significant density of gambling houses.
Legislation
Gambling in most countries of Western Europe has a legal status. At the same time, the region is famous for the strictness of laws in relation to gambling activities. Each jurisdiction sets its own set of rules, but General trends are also easily captured. For example, in the UK, only two licensed online bookmakers, but 14 operators have permission to place land-based betting points.
Some statistics
In Western Europe, the gambling industry is not only thriving, but also in the process of continuous development. A total of 20 countries in the region have land-based gambling facilities and four other jurisdictions have legalized racetracks. There is even a new phenomenon of gambling – Racinos – a combination of horse racing, slot machines, terminals and video poker.
First among equals
Land-based gambling establishments in Western Europe are among the most popular in the world, and therefore constantly attract many visitors from different parts of the world. For example, you can play in a real casino in such countries as Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. France has the highest concentration of gambling establishments. There are 189 casinos in the country, and 15,381 slot machines are available to users. However, this is not all – the largest casino on the continent is also located in close proximity to the birthplace of Monet, Degas and Descartes. Le Café de Paris is located in Monte Carlo (Monaco). The offer of the gambling establishment consists of 15 tables for card games, 1.2 thousand slot machines and video poker terminals.
Gambling in hotel rooms
Based on the data set out above, we have already learned that hotel managers will not interfere with a private game of poker, of course, if the organizer is not “lucky” to get on the employee-a religious fanatic. But the owners of the bars will never allow you to play, first, because the place is public, and secondly, because they face a huge fine for it.
Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? But, as it turned out, nothing criminal. In Europe, gambling in hotel rooms is sometimes called gambling-entertainment organized without a commercial purpose. Few people thought that in fact, even in a regulated Europe, no one has the right to punish an organizer who decided to play poker or blackjack with friends. For the regulator and law enforcement agencies, the key issue is whether gambling activities are commercial in nature. Therefore, private games are not subject to gambling laws and are considered legal. However, it should be taken into account that the venue of the games should not be public: a secluded hotel room is a great solution and a playful name for a whole cluster of private gambling entertainment.
It is impossible to say how common these games are, since no one tracks or records them. In addition, they are not advertised or registered in any way.
So, back to the requirements. The Login Casino team decided to select several countries for its readers, which will be used as an example to consider the European requirements for land-based gambling establishments. France and great Britain reached the final.
French casino: the requirements
The maximum term of the license for the right to provide land-based casino services in France is 18 years.
A distinctive feature of the gambling legislation of France is that it is very old, so much so that in the context of the current pace of life it can even be called ancient. The first rules regarding the operation of land-based gambling establishments were adopted in 1942. Then it was decided that casinos can be located only in resort areas and places of special congestion of tourists. As such places were chosen settlements located along the sea coast. At the same time, a ban was imposed on the placement of gambling establishments within a radius of 100 kilometers from the capital. History, however, knows a few exceptions to this rule, such as the resort of Engen. Later, the authorities still allowed to open gambling houses in the cultural centers of the country, whose population exceeds 500 thousand people. For example, gambling has been successfully developing in nice for many years.
In the modern world, all decisions regarding the opening of new gambling establishments are made by the French interior Ministry. However, first the operator must send a special request to the gambling regulator and the local government. The decision on the list of services that can be offered in a gambling establishment is made by the Ministry of internal Affairs, and the Agency also sets the validity period of licenses.
One of the atypical requirements for a casino, which nevertheless operates in France, is that before opening an institution, the candidates of managers must be agreed with the regulatory Agency.
Employees should not involve family members or close relatives in games
All employees of French casinos are strictly prohibited from entering the casino outside of business hours. In addition, employees can not involve family members or close relatives in games, or keep money or chips in the workplace.
The Board of Directors must include a Manager from the Ministry.
The interest of the French state, like many others, is clear-gambling is subject to a huge tax and significantly replenish the state Treasury. For this reason, it is unlikely that the French will abandon them, although sometimes the attention of the state and begins to be filled with a slight flair of obsession.
Great Britain
In 2005, legislation was passed that divided slot machines into several categories. However, gambling establishments opened before this year continued to operate legally, without paying attention to such details.
Great Britain is a tyrant among European countries, especially in relation to gambling operations. Gambling-related activities are treated with the utmost rigor.
According to British law, there are three types of new casinos, each of them has special requirements.
The first type is a regional casino. The area of such a gambling establishment should not be less than 5 thousand square meters. At the disposal of visitors at least 40 gaming tables, 1250 slots, while the latter can be of any category. Moreover, in the UK, the proportion of the number of gaming tables to slots is 1: 25. Regional casinos are allowed to play games of chance in which there is a home advantage, as well as bingo and sports betting.
The second type is large casinos. The area of such a gambling establishment should not be less than 1.5 thousand square meters. The maximum number of slot machines that can be offered to visitors is 150 units. Each game table can have five slots.
Large casinos can offer the same range of services as regional casinos.
The third type is small casinos. The area of such a gambling establishment must be at least 750 square meters. The operator can place up to 80 slot machines and at least one game table in the room. The required ratio is 1:2.
In this type of gambling establishments, you can play standard games or make sports bets.