Belgium: Dinant: Accor’s proposal voted upon.

The casino staff will have to decide on Thursday on the social conflict that opposes the direction regarding the indexing of the variable component of wages.

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Late Wednesday afternoon, the meeting brings together trade unions (and SETCa CNE) and the direction of Paris Accor has resulted in a compromise. The hearings were closed with a final proposal from management.

The discontent of the employees was the lack of indexation since 2000, the portion of wages is linked to the turnover of the casino. Notice of work stoppage had been filed, expiring on 7 November. At the first meeting between management and unions in Paris last week, envoys of Accor had been surprised by the argument that employment contracts were referring to the work rules in effect prior to the redemption of the casino, which provided indexing of the variable part of salaries. At the request of management, more time had been set. The option of a strike was still pending without being executed.

Management is willing to accept the principle of indexing and updating wages from July 2003, Philip announced Delbascourt the CNE. However, given recent financial results of the casino, it does not take into account the period from July 2000 to July 2003. It emphasizes, moreover, that the revaluation will be born next year, the arrival of slot machines including 4% of the profits shall be refunded to the staff. •

Swiss Casino Lugano is accused of tolerating the activities of loan sharks.

Casino Lugano knowingly tolerate within its walls the illegal activities of moneylenders and habitual criminals. So says the Italian association “SOS racket and wear. She gave a series of evidence to the Public Prosecutor Ticino.

“Several leaders had been informed by employees that shady characters lent money to players at exorbitant rates,” he told Frediano Manzi, president of the Association “Sos racket and wear. He said the loan sharks including several ex-convicts in Italy, playing themselves large sums on the green baize.

The Milan-based association has Casino Lugano in the spotlight in mid-October. She acted on the request of two Italian players eroded by currency traders. On 16 October, the association filed a formal complaint before the judicial authorities in Italy and Ticino.

The accusations by Manzi Frediano cons Casino Lugano were quickly denied by the Board of Directors and management of the gambling for his part, Mayor Giorgio Giudici Lugano – owner of the property at 70% – had claimed to know nothing about it.

Taken part, the association “SOS racket and wear” has lined up a series of tests in a 33-page dossier handed over Wednesday to prosecutors in Milan and Lugano. She quotes from casino employees and provides instant replays of surveillance cameras. These elements allow to affirm that at least eight illegal moneylenders would crack in Lugano.

Thibault Verbiest (lawyer): “Expect the growth of online gambling in Europe in 2004.

Gambling online advance to legalization. If casinotier French prefer not to go into battle against the monopoly of French Games in other countries, the situation started to change. Is currently the case in Italy where the authorities have complained tale an Italian agent working for a British bookmaker. The Court of Justice (ECJ) has just issued an opinion on this matter that might suggest that the development of online gambling (casinos, lotteries, paris) in Europe will know his true rise from the year next. Thibault Verbiest, member of the Bars of Brussels and Paris, this new decision analysis and its consequences for the French case.

Interview conducted by the newspaper on the net

JDN. What is causing this and what are the reasons advanced by the Court of Justice of European Communities to justify this decision?

Thibault Verbiest.
The Italian state has initiated criminal proceedings against Piergiorgio Gambelli, an agent who was working for a British bookmaker named Stanley International Betting. It is licensed bookmaker perfectly legal for England and acts perfectly legal in the UK. He is also active in other countries via the Internet and the telephone, especially in European countries. On behalf of Stanley, Piergiorgio Gambelli harvested from Paris to Italy and transmitted via the Web. The Italian authorities decided to proceed criminally for violation of Italian law which restricts the oganisation and collection of paris to Italian operators tenured (that is somewhat the same system as the casinos in France). Gambelli replied that he worked for an English company subject to strict controls and prevent him from pursuing his activity he said was a violation of European law which guarantees the freedom to provide services. The Italian Court, which had to rule on the compatibility of Italian law with European law, the ECJ has preferred to refer to the question on the subject. It is a fairly common approach, in which case the notice is mandatory. It is obvious that when the ECJ ruled, it is authoritative in the rest of Europe.

But in this case, the Court said that the Italian legislation was actually an impediment to a fundamental freedom of the common market. In the case of restriction or obstruction, European law, Member States that impose these restrictions may invoke reasons of public interest and request an exception to the rule. However, in our case, the ECJ has already stated its view that the Italian government could not invoke the protection of the consumer to prevent, as he promotes in his country of gambling rather than attempt to protect consumers. Indeed, in Italy there are more and more casinos authorized agency paris organized sports because it is a source of additional revenue for the Italian State. We can not promote one side games in his country to bring in money and at the same time invoke the protection of the consumer to prevent other legal operators in other Member States to make well in your territory. Ultimately, the ECJ has referred the matter to the Italian court. It merely an opinion without explicitly condemning it and let today in the Italian court freedom to practice the principles that the ECJ has just determined to convict or not the Italian State. Still, this leaves, I think, a little leeway to the Italian court …

What impact has this decision for France and other European countries are in the same case?

In France, those who are affected by the Gambelli is The French Games and the PMU, which already offers interactive services. French Games offers games to lotteries and games of paris. The PMU is present in interactive television and the Internet soon. An argument similar to Italy could be raised in France, where the state has no policy to contain the passion of the game On the contrary, new services are developed and the market is being expanded. In this case, do not complain if European competitors interfere in the market through Internet and telephone. This does not challenge the monopoly of the French Games or the PMU but allows the actors of the European Community to offer their services to French citizens. That tomorrow we can imagnier English bookmakers are explicitly France without the French games can complain, because they only compete on the field itself where practical rules of aggressive marketing. It is simply the application of competition rules.

In which country, the next players likely to land in France are they from?

The English are best placed to do so. Especially in 2004 the British government will allow casinos to operate on the Internet, so it will not only sports bookmakers paris. In addition, we must look towards Malta will become a member state of the European Union in 2004. There, any operator who meets the legal requirements can obtain a license to operate Internet gaming casinos. In this case, it should not even be a casino operator to be able to operate a virtual casino. It is therefore clear that from 2004 the Gambelli will have enormous consequences as more and more countries will begin to allow certain types of Internet gambling (paris sports, casino, lottery). The condition is of course that operators be subject to meaningful controls in their countries of origin to guarantee the legality of these activities (audits of the software, paying players, etc..).

Gilles Andruet murder: 15 years for Joseph Liany.

The jury in the Assize Court of Essonne said yesterday Liany Joseph, 54, guilty of murdering the former chess champion Gilles Andruet, 37, and sentenced to a term of fifteen years imprisonment. The accused’s son, Frank, 32, was convicted of “concealment of proceeds of a murder” and sentenced to seven years in prison, the jury found that he had fraudulently received $ 347 500 francs belonging to Gilles Andruet knowing that he had been murdered. The Advocate General Jean-François Mailhes had required twenty years of imprisonment against the father and ten years against the son. The father and son rejected responsibility for the disappearance of Andruet. The tortured body of the son of former racing champion Jean-Claude Andruet, Gilles, chess champion and gambler, was found in Saulx-les-Chartreux (Essonne) August 22, 1995. He had just recovered a small inheritance, which he badly needed. Friend Joseph Liany met at the casino d’Enghien (Val-d’Oise), he had managed to open an account through the intervention of Frank who had proxy. The money was detained until August 22, when Frank made himself a check from bank 150 000 F to order the casino “as requested Andruet during their passage to the bank,” said Her lawyer, Alexis Gublin. The remainder will be disbursed until two days later still by Franck. Me Lef Forster, Joseph Liany lawyer said his client would appeal. “Justice has taken a courageous decision, and reassures me about my intimate conviction” has meanwhile said Jean-Claude Andruet.

Switzerland: A book to calm the game

Viquerat Gabriel, himself an amateur occasional green carpet, publishes a book in the irresistible and dangerous world of casinos. Warn the public against the dangers of addiction to the game That, in a nutshell, the educational goal of the book Viquerat Gabriel, a resident of Yen-sur-Morges, just devoted to the ruthless, yet irresistible world casinos. Himself casual player, this retired publicist admits passion for the French roulette. A passionate healthy sense: “I consider myself a player scientific, curious odds and whims of chance,” says the author. Also curious if this fascinating atmosphere of the casinos that Gabriel Viquerat portrayed himself as a “unseen” neophytes unfamiliar with the dangers. “I do not want the death of the casinos – a badly needed addition – since they would ban gambling dens flourish. I note however that the preventive methods are ineffective, “he says. In little over a hundred pages, Gabriel Viquerat explains what a casino, distinguishes the different categories of players, gives some “short green carpet” gleaned here and there, unparalleled opportunities dissects there to lose, and Finally, invited twenty speakers (journalists, politicians, mathematicians, men of the Church) to deliver their own reflection on the theme of the game “I’ve heard too much of nonsense about the game and I’m so interested in this area that I wanted to write this book, we do not forget that after the” no more bets “the dealer , bets come in with absolute certainty in the world of uncertainty, “adds the author. To improve prevention Ideally, Gabriel Viquerat would like at the entrance to each hold a casino employee who informs players about the dangers of gambling, the “downward spiral” in which he can lead. “A sweet utopia? Maybe. But while the cashiers at least avoid being too liberal with customers clearly on the ropes, “says one who says he earned more money in his job with the 37 boxes of roulette. The book Casino: in Switzerland the chips are down will be available on newsstands and bookstore at the end of this week. Approximate price: 28 francs.

Switzerland: The victims of the frenzy of the game are multiplying.

Game Addicts stormed detox and arouse the concern of doctors.
Testimonials

Game Addicts stormed detox and arouse the concern of doctors. Testimonials “The slot machines have fucked my life up. I slammed the legacy of my father (1.6 million francs) and part of my health. “Alain (The names of persons are not fictitious, only the names have been obscured) does not hide anything, he knows he has lost everything: his money, his apartment, his job, his wife and friends. He is 52 years and attended the Centre for the Prevention of Gambling “Rien ne va plus” in Geneva. Sylvie, she almost lost his life. After a rapid descent into hell last year, she ended up in ICU of the CHUV following a suicide attempt. Today, Sylvie 69 years and follows a detoxification therapy of the game still fragile, it rises gently sloping. As Alain, it is followed by a physician. His passion for electronic gambling has marked in his flesh. “When I started to really play, I thought only this: morning, evening, night. After six months, it became an obsession. My life revolved around this machine. I ate less and less. In the end, I lost all my money and started to decline. Then I plunged, like that of a sudden. I no longer knew who I was, I quickly lost my mind. I took drugs … and I then left overnight for emergencies, then in rehab. If I knew that I would fall so low … ”
Unlike the sudden drop Sylvie Alain slipped gently into that hell. But after twenty years of playing, he admits to having been completely washed “I always liked playing cards, since I was young. Then I tried the backgammon and roulette. But what struck me, what are the slot machines. There I slammed everything. It took me to lose my job so I am aware of my state of dependency. Then my wife left me. Now I live in a small studio and am looking for a new job. I have nothing left. I even toasted the 1.6 million francs to the legacy … ”

Slot machines are a gold mine
Today, Switzerland hosts 8520 slot machines according to the latest census of the Federal Gaming Board (CFMJ). It also displays the largest concentration of casinos in Europe. Vacuum, it rose to wealth in just two years. In addition to the thousands of armed bandits, Loterie Romande 560 Tactilos distributed in 280 bars in western Switzerland. Manufacturers of gambling have realized that supply creates demand. Slot machines are a goldmine for roulette gambling houses, she merely secures prestige. Casino de Montreux, the bandits represent 80% of the total score. In Ticino, the Casino Admiral Mendrisio, the first to close its accounts and most profitable of the country, has earned 81 million francs since its opening in October 2002. Airport Casino Basel AG expects an income of 66 million. For his part, Loterie Romande has earned 80 million francs in one year only through his armada Tactilos. No doubt the gaming industry is beginning to stir Swiss lot of money. And the state is the primary beneficiary of this windfall. In Ticino, for example, the Confederation and the Canton and will share a budget of 47 million francs. But this very lucrative market also causes extensive damage.
From the medical side, there are concerns about growing devastation of gambling. “We are starting to be overwhelmed,” says Laurence Aufrère, head of consulting at the Center for Problem Gambling (ECJ) in Lausanne. To accommodate demand, we espaçons our therapeutic consultations. It is always difficult to follow our patients. “The numbers are clear.

Physicians are overwhelmed
The ECJ had 58 patients in 2002, it now treats about 130 people. In one year, the demand for care has doubled while the center’s budget has remained unchanged Lausanne. Same conclusion in Geneva. Since the school year, the Center for Problem Gambling Prevention “Rien ne va plus” Plainpalais nearly drowning in phone calls. “Sometimes desperate people come knocking at the door directly to the center without an appointment, says Yael Liebkind, head of prevention center in Geneva. These people are in such distress that it can send them to emergency psychiatric services at the hospital. ”
If, for most people, gambling is a recreational activity, it develops in other disease: play becomes an illness or an addiction that leads to an uncontrollable impulse to wager money. A study of University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG) ** 0.8% of the adult population in Switzerland – or 40,000 people – is likely to slide into the hell of gambling. “For a pathological gambler, gambling is a source of excitement and relaxation completely dominates her life. Serious financial problems arising from this activity: players often commit illegal acts such as forgery, fraud, theft or embezzlement to finance gambling, “says Guido Bondolfi, a psychiatrist at HUG and coauthor of the study. Alain’s experience confirms this. “One night I was so taken by the game I started to fly. It found me ass over head being bitten in the fund. I did not even see that there were surveillance cameras. And, of course, you caught me. It was the first time it happened to me. I was not myself. I just hit bottom. ”

“You’re like possessed”
Sylvie did not steal money to play but she quickly began to lose his head: “I felt good while I was playing. It’s addictive, I think. I was just thinking back what I lost yesterday, with a small additional gain, just to repeat myself. I do not see the time passing. The next day I woke up and I felt bad, like I had a hangover. People around me felt that I was not going well, but they did not know that I played. We hide, we lie, we sink alone. From the outside, you do not see, but inside, it completely loses his head. You can not imagine the number of people in my situation but dare not say. It’s worse than drugs, because there was no excuse to inject something. It fits you, you’re like possessed, and it transforms you completely. “

Why do not we write: night play seriously?

In 1994 I crossed for the first time, the door of one of the casinos Vichy, during this first win, 100 000 francs. I went, little by little, I who had never played anything, without realizing it become a pathological gambler, a gambler, a “compulsive gambling”. At that time I never thought of absolutely nothing, I knew, moreover, that the game could become a danger … For almost ten years I frequented the casino daily Vichy, putting myself every day a little more danger, every day putting my family and loved ones in danger … Losses incur debt, lies, gains incur further losses, still a bit larger … Sunday, November 2, 2003, a television, the corridors of power, opens its doors to the leader of the “casino operator” French, Patrick Partouche , who trumpeted: “To win at the casino, you have to buy one …” or: “I am an employee who is free to set their salaries” and especially “I sell the adrenaline.” On this last point, I totally agree, the game world is a dream world where we only buy the illusion, but at what price. If Mr Partouche ad to sell only the antenna of adrenaline, why will exercise does not have the same honesty on its billboards. In Vichy, the latest of adrenaline did not speak but announced: “Take a course of jackpot.”

One wonders openly about the success of these empires in the game, more than interesting sources of revenue for government, municipalities … But thinks there one day to cause damage that these gains?

There are lots of measures and laws to protect the consumer classic credits, tobacco, alcohol, road safety. For the players, individual consumers, there exists? Nothing … Nowhere in France, we dare say that the game is also a danger … And it makes sense, it is a source of money so successful …

Usually, we give greater voice to victims and murderers … As part of the game, the trend is reversed … Who benefits? To those who were regularly features interviews so they are one aspect, one facet of the game without ever guess it leaves behind the scenes, to whom this looks like an inferno. This face-then we must leave it in the shade, do not talk about things that annoy …

I will do everything possible to implement an active association to ensure that what happened never happens again, or less.

Canada: Canadian traffickers launder money in casinos.

Many Canadian drug dealers launder money in casinos before sending in a clandestine manner in the Caribbean and South America, according to a document produced by a U.S. intelligence agency.

Money collected from the sale of narcotics are also filed quietly in banks in Canada, by the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The authorities worry that traffickers, terrorists and other criminals to increase their efforts to try to hide the source of their cash inflows by, among others, the execution of large volumes of purchases and by dealing with important institutions.

A recent investigative report from the Drug Enforcement Administration, that of August which is titled “Money laundering in Canada,” said the Canadian drug traffickers are planning to use casinos to launder more their funds by opening an account in a gambling establishment and buying chips.

Traffickers “play” in the casinos, but being careful not to lose a tiny amount of money, can you read in the paper. “The traffickers or their accomplices will then move chips to the cashier to touch the money appear legitimate perceived as a gain in the account.”

The study does, however, no reference to a particular casino in Canada, although Peter Lamey, spokesman for the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, says Canadian casinos have identified “suspicious transactions” which have interest to the authorities. Mr. Lamey would not say their thoughts, but nevertheless indicated that more information will be available in the coming months.

The U.S. investigative report also mentions that significant amounts of money are “hidden” in cars that are sent to Canada in the Caribbean and South America.

Players under observation.

A sociologist, a lawyer and two psychiatrists are creating an Observatory games (ODJ) in France. “We expect to fill a gap, and revive a debate that too slow to organize,” says Jean-Pierre Martignoni, a sociologist at University Lumière Lyon. In France, unlike the Anglo-Saxon, no state service evaluates the social, economic and health of the game yet, France is one of the nations that play the most: the world’s second largest casino (gross gaming revenue), fifth in regard to lotteries, second in Europe in terms of volume of paris. “One of our primary goals is to conduct a prevalence study of gambling and its economic and financial consequences in the general population,” warned Christian Bucher, psychiatric hospital in Strasbourg. To date, no epidemiological or clinical study has been thoroughly carried out in France on players addictive. Yet it is estimated at 2 or 3% the proportion of problem gamblers, more than 300,000. The Observatory has games in its articles of incorporation an article very clear: a commitment to dissolve itself once the State has established a national observatory …

Casinos for seniors.

One third of older Detroit plays at the casino and one in ten is addicted to slot machines. Therefore, the United States, the casinos are adapting their offers with senior travel tours, provision of wheelchairs and electric cars.

Two thirds of older Detroit rarely or never play the casinos, but 10% of them are attracted to the game These findings are among results from a survey on health, housing, transport use and felt needs of the population aged 60 and over.

Critics blame casinos for seniors who use the free time and money to consume. That is why they are the current customer base casinos.

57% of gamers are over 50 years and casinos are doing to attract them. The seniors come through tours. And often, money and meals offered to them are included in the tour price. The casinos make available to seniors with disabilities wheelchairs and electric cars. The toilets even have bins for used syringes for diabetics.

Finally, 10% of seniors said they no longer know when to stop when they started to play. 10% lie when asked how much they played and seniors who do not play are those with low incomes who have health problems or who live alone.