Europe Casinos: Part 1

In this Casino Travel series of articles, I have highlighted some of the most elegant and finest casinos worldwide, (all four star +) targeting major tourist destinations.

General Information: the majority of international casinos are not open 24 hours. Most open past
noon and urge a proper to elegant dress code. Casinos requiring jackets and ties are noted (DCJ). If you stay away from shorts and jeans, you will be safe at any of these casinos.
Visiting a casino is considered a social event to a lot of people around the world and one should dress accordingly. Some ask for a small entrance fee ($2-$20) and those casinos are noted EY).
Most foreign countries will ask for your passport for identification. Minimum age is usually 21.

Following is a casino listing with games offered using symbols as noted below:
SYMBOLS: GAMES=G—B6=BIG SIX WHEEL.  B=BACCARAT.  BJ=BLACKJACK.   CF=CHEMIN DE FER.  CR=CRAPS.  CSP=CARIBBEAN STUD POKER. K=KENO. LIR=LET IT RIDE.  MB=MINI-BACCARAT.   PB=PUNTO BANCO.   PGP=PAI GOW POKER.  P=POKER.   RL=ROULETTE.  SB=SIC-BO.  SL=SLOTS (includes VP).  SP=SPORTS BOOK. 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.

EUROPE
Spain:  Casino Torrequebrada–POB 67, 29630 Benalmadena Costa, Malaga, Spain.
T: 349-524-4600.   HC, EY, PS, G=B, BJ, PB, RL, SL, H: 8PM-4AM. 
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.

France: Casino de Deauville–Blvd Lornuche, 14800, Deauville, France.
T: 023-198-6600. HC, EY, 44MSF, PS, G=B, BJ, CF, CR, P, PB, RL, SL.
H: 11AM-2AM. Located approx. 90 minutes 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 available. Le Regine’s Disco–extraordinaire.  Racecourse, 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 spectacular 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: 072-212-1060.  HC, EY, 32MSF, PS, G=B, BJ, MB, PB, CF, P, RL, SL, 
H: daily-2PM-2AM. Location - take B-500 hwy. from Mummelsee, town is situated in the Black Forest, southwest area of Germany. Some 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. Marlene Dietrich said, “This is the most beautiful casino in Europe”.   Gaming rooms open at different times. Blackjack–4-5PM, roulette–2PM, American roulette–6PM, baccarat–3PM/6PM, poker–8PM. Gaming lessons available. A separate area for slot players–2PM-11PM, midnight on the weekends.

Casino tours are available. 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 as far back as Roman times is nearby.

Italy: 1) San Remo Casino–Corsi Ingelsi, 16 San Remo 18038, Italy. T: 0184-5951.   EY, DCJ, PS, G=B, BJ, RL, SL, H: NOON–slots, 8PM–tables. Location–Italian Riviera–35 miles from Nice by Via Aurelia from Nice or Genoa. Largest resort on the Italian Riviera. Turn–of–the-century European style when Alfred Nobel and Empress Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Czar Alexander II, were patrons.
2) Casino de la Vallee–St. Vincent, Valle d’Aosta. T: 016-652-21.  EY, DCJ, 43MSF, PS, G=B, BJ, CF, CR, CSP, MB,  P, PB, RL, SL,  H: 3PM-3AM, weekends 4AM. Northern Italy–55 miles North of Turin. Ultra-modern and high roller heaven. International celebrities are VIP cardholders and gain entrance to the private salons. International ski resort and summer trout fishing. There are 4 casinos in Italy, the other two are in the Venice–Lido area.

Bonne Chance to all international Casino travelers.

(Gayle Mitchell is author of Casino Gambling Made Easier books, E-Books, booklets & Slots Trilogy. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed)