Betting in Cannes

Best known for its annual film festival founded in 1949, the city of Cannes on the French Riviera has been a popular tourist destination for centuries. Following the lead of Henry Peter Brougham, 1st Baron Brougham and Vaux (1778~1868), many members of the British aristocracy chose to build their winter residences along the coast here, where the Mediterranean climate is mild and rain infrequent.

Today, visitors flock year-round to the Promenade de la Croisette, a famous waterfront avenue lined with palm trees, restaurants, cafés and boutiques and fronted by picturesque beaches. There are brand-name luxury stores for shopping and top-class hotels for accommodations. Stage productions, trade shows and carnivals attract crowds, too, and of course there is casino gambling appropriate to the upscale nature of this resort town of just 73,000 fulltime residents.

Three of the four major casinos in Cannes are owned and operated by Casinos Barrière, a French entertainment group with hotels and casinos in Switzerland and Egypt as well as France. The local flagship is the stand-alone Casino Barrière de Cannes Croisette at 1 Espace Lucien Barrière. The stylish building contains a 12,912 square foot gaming space with 260 gaming machines and 17 table games, including Blackjack, Stud Poker, French Roulette, English Roulette and Boule. Wagering starts at €1, €2, €5 and up, and there is an entrance fee of 70 francs required.

The operating hours at Casino Barrière de Cannes Croisette are from 10am to 4am on weekdays and 10am to 5am on weekends. Located on the premises are two restaurants—the La Brasserie du Casino serving French cuisine for lunch and dinner and the continental-style Le Restaurant des Jeux. There is also one bar called Le Bar des Machines à Sous. The minimum age for entrance is 18 years old.

Elsewhere in Cannes, Casinos Barrière operate facilities inside major hotels. At the Hotel Majestic there is a gaming space with 320 gaming machines and 16 table games. It is open daily from 1pm to 4am for slot play and from 8pm to 4am for table action. Meanwhile, inside the 261-room Palais Stéphanie Hotel on Boulevard de La Croisette is the Les Princes Casino Barrière de Cannes. It has 125 gaming machines and 19 table games, complemented by La Scena Lounge Bar and Restaurant serving French, Italian and Japanese cuisine, plus Le Panorama Bar serving drinks.

One special attraction of the Casinos Barrière in Cannes has been their affiliation with the World Series of Poker Europe in 2011~12. In conjunction with the Hotel Majestic, the casino network hosted bracelet events for two years running, receiving high marks from professional poker players as one of Europe’s finest venues for tournament play.

A fourth sophisticated casino operating in Cannes can be found right by the seaside at Pointe Croisette in Place Franklin Roosevelt. It is called the Palm Beach Casino, and its facilities extend well beyond the gaming area with 100 gaming machines and 24 table games. Located on the premises is the 106-room Hotel Savoy along with two French restaurants, La Villa and 1929. It is the only casino in Cannes with direct access to the beach, and the views by day and night are nothing short of extraordinary.

Games offered at the Palm Beach Casino include Blackjack, French Roulette, English Roulette, Punto Banco and Stud Poker. There are five dedicated Poker tables, too. Table limits range from 50 francs up to 100,000 francs, depending on the game. The dress code is “proper & casual,” a 70-franc entrance fee is required and only customers aged 18 years and over are granted access.

Published on: 02/04/2013

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