Two new gaming clubs debuted in Paris this month. On September 9, Belgian group Ardent opened the Circus Club Paris. On September 13, Lucien Barrière unveiled its Club Barrière Paris.
The new clubs join the Paris Elysees Club, opened by Tranchant in April 2018; the Imperial Club owned by Raineau, which opened in December 2018; and Club Montmartre, which was officially launched by Frédérique Ruggieri in August.
Circus Club Paris will offer 29 games tables including 17 poker tables, with the rest comprising poker variants and punto banco, reported G3 Newswire. The entrance fee is €11, with the option to buy an annual subscription of €100.
The Club Barrière Paris on the Champs-Elysees is housed in the former circle of the Aviation Club de France.
Barrière said of the venue: “Ideally located in front of the Hotel Barrière Le Fouquet’s and its famous brewery, the Barrière Club is located in the heart of the Parisian Golden Triangle, close to the Arc de Triomphe and its Place de l’Etoile.”
It includes 27 tables including six punto banco tables, three poker tables, and three ultimate poker tables. The entry fee will be €15 with an annual subscription of €150.
Barrière added: “With deep red carpet, wood paneling and black and white photographs, Club Barrière Paris is reminiscent of the atmospheric English clubs but with a modern twist. Bruno Borrione has designed eight rooms in eight fantasy themes: an Eastern-inspired floor onto which dragons cascade, a ceiling embellished with constellation.”
Dominique Desseigne, chairman and CEO of the Barrière Group, said: “This is a historic moment for the Group, which is setting up its first gaming club in Paris, just in front of one of its flagship addresses, Fouquet’s.”
Casinos have been banned in Paris since 1920, though they exist elsewhere in France. However under a new law introduced in 2018, clubs de jeux or “gaming clubs” have been allowed to start operating for an initial three-year trial period, under strict conditions—among others, the clubs can offer only table card games, excluding blackjack. Slot machines are not allowed.
