Betting in Zagreb

When Croatia became an independent republic in 1991, Zagreb became its capital and hub of commerce and industry. Key manufacturing activities in the city range from production of electric machines and devices to textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and the processing of food and drink. Zagreb also serves as Croatia’s international trade, finance and business centre. Not surprisingly, the metropolitan population has grown to nearly 800,000 residents, with another 300,000 living in surrounding Zagreb County.

Tourism has increased greatly over the years, too, especially among visitors from Italy, Austria and Germany. They come to see medieval churches, palaces, museums, galleries and government buildings, savor Croatian cuisine and take in performances at more than 20 permanent or seasonal theaters and stages. Major city events include an international festival of avant-garde music, a Croatian pop music festival called Zagrebfest, a major flower exhibition known as Floraart and the world festival for animated films, Animafest, which takes place every two years.

For those who enjoy gambling, Zagreb offers both large-scale casinos and “automat clubs,” which are smaller venues full of gaming machines that are often open 24 hours a day. The Admiral Automat Club chain, for example, has six separate properties around the city, all owned and operated by the Novomatic Group of companies headquartered in Austria.

Representative of these are the Admiral Automat Club Bacardi on Vladimira Brajkovica and the Admiral Automat Club Ilica on Ilica, each with 33 video gaming machines, as well as the Admiral Automat Club Sesvete on Zagrebacka with 29 units. One of the larger properties is the Admiral Automat Club Palace on Avenija Dubrava featuring 62 gaming machines.

Two of the Novomatic venues are located within hotels. The Admiral Automat Club Queen’s is inside the Hotel Dubrovnik, where it offers electronic Roulette along with 70 gaming machines operating 24 hours daily. Meanwhile, the Admiral Automat Club Central Hotel has 29 gaming machines on its gaming floor inside the Central Hotel, also open 24/7.

One such slot arcade that competes directly with the Admiral brand is the Automat Klub, which has its Crnomerec branch on Ilica, just a block from its Novomatic counterpart. Installed there are 30 gaming machines that operate from 9am to 1am daily. The club is owned and managed by Hrvatska Lutrije, which is the Croatian national lottery.

One of Zagreb’s leading casinos is located inside the Hotel Antunovic Zagreb on Zagrebacka Avenija. It is called the Golden Sun Casino and its gaming floor features 94 gaming machines in operation 24/7 and 25 table games open daily from 8pm to 4am. Included there are American Roulette, Blackjack, Caribbean Stud Poker, Poker and Texas Hold’em Bonus, and smoking is permitted.

Inside the 370-room International Hotel on Miramarska Street is the Casino International, operated by Hrvatska Lutrije. It has 58 gaming machines, electronic Roulette, 14 table games, a 100-seat Bingo room and a sports book. Slots operate from 10am till 4am daily, while table games are open from 8pm until 4am, including American Roulette, Blackjack, Caribbean Poker and Poker. Also on the premises is the Caffe Bar for drinks, a meeting facility for rental and a shop for duty free purchases.

Hrvatska Lutrije has one other venue in the city unaffiliated with a hotel. It is the Casino Fortuna Zagreb, which is open daily from 9am to 4am for slots play and from 8pm to 4am for table games. The casino’s gaming space contains 50 gaming machines and nine table and poker games, plus a 50-seat Bingo room and a dedicated sports book. Drinks are served at the Caffe Bar Fortuna on site.

Published on: 02/04/2013

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