Casinos in France that have been forced to close are waiting to see if the State Council will ratify tax exemptions that were announced recently by Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire.
The casinos will definitely be closed for two weeks in a new French lockdown, but that could extend until December. The closures affect casinos in Ile de France, Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier, Toulouse, Lille, Saint-Etienne, Grenoble et Rouen and Guadeloupe.
Le Maire has asked banks to look at the postponement of repaying loans guaranteed by France for all companies that have been hurt by the closures, especially those in the hospitality industry, events and sports.
The minister said, “Everything that needs to be done will be done” to help companies “get through these weeks of curfew with the lowest possible economic impact.” That includes extending state guaranteed loans until next June.
This came after the association Casinos de France, which includes 150 casinos, appealed to Prime Minister Jean Castex. The association pointed out that casinos use high sanitary standards and have not reported any outbreaks of infections.
