Online Casino, casinos

Dominique Desseigne

Exclusive interview with Dominique Desseigne for Casinoweb

Casinoweb has the pleasure of publishing this exclusive interview with Dominique Desseigne, Chairman and CEO of the Barrière group.

Casinoweb: The gaming sector is in a bad way in France : the economic crisis, the verification of identity at the entrance to casinos, the anti-tobacco law in public buildings. What is your view of the year 2008? Did certain casinos suffer more than others?

Dominique Desseigne: Definitely, the situation has been very difficult since the 1st of January 2008. We've built up new disadvantages which weigh heavily on activity in the sector: falling spending power, the economic crisis, the smoking ban. Added to all that is a constant increase in charges but also competition from illegal online gaming sites. Over the last five months our business has suffered a 15 to 20% drop in turnover: so our profession is legitimately worried about the future.

Casinoweb: You have asked that the state make a gesture towards the casinos notably to facilitate obtaining supplementary slot machines (or gaming tables, editors note) as well as easing up on deductions for two years. Were these requests listened to? What has the state actually done to help you overcome the crisis and above all to prevent laying-off employees?

Dominique Desseigne: Casinos are suffering a lot at the moment. We definitely need ways to increase growth: that's why we have asked the state for supplementary slot machines. Negociations on this subject are ongoing. On the other hand one needs to know that the gaming sector is one of the most reglemented and most penalised on the fiscal front. To-day, casinos have six different taxes and deductions, to which are added common law taxes. In twelve years fiscal pressure has increased by close to 11%. It's time that the state stopped hitting us with more constraints and gave  us the means to save our sector.

Casinoweb: Are any of your group's casinos in such a difficult financial situation that you envisage closing them in 2009?

Dominique Desseigne: For the moment we have reduced our investments, frozen hiring, started to restructure our organisation and some partial closures. But if nothing changes, it's true that certain establishments in great difficulty could close, as is the case in other groups. That would be catastrophic for employment and for the communes: they would suffer from both an increase in unemployment and a major loss of revenue. It must n't be forgotten that casinos represent up to 60% of the budgets of communes, 18,200 jobs in France and 30,000 indirect jobs.

Casinoweb: 2009 is a year of “danger” for the actual casinos with the opening up of the online gaming market. What do you think of France's position in the face of pressure from the European Commission?

Dominique Desseigne: For a long time we have denounced the unfair competition from the illegal online gaming sites which don't have the same constraints as us and who take clients from us without us being able to fight back on an even level by launching our own services on the internet. The opening up of online gaming is therefore more urgent than ever for the casinos! We need this opportunity for growth and we're counting on the authorities to legislate as quickly as possible, with acceptable taxation and a “real” opening up, which won't be limited to just some games to protect the interests of the Francaise des Jeux or the PMU.

Casinoweb: 2009 also sees the launch of the Barrière Poker Tour and you're beginning the year very well by organising the prestigious European Poker Tour tournament in the Deauville Barrière Casino. Does the Barrière group plan to make the game of poker its spearhead for increasing the gross product from gaming in its casinos?

Dominique Desseigne: Poker is a huge success with the public. We wanted to seize this opportunity because even if its not a significant new source of revenue for us, this game brings a younger, more urban clientele into our casinos. The tournaments in particular are good times for our casinos and we are very proud of the wonderful success of the European Poker Tour in Deauville last month. Our specific aim is to offer poker lovers that which is the strength of our group: our professionalism, our knowledge but also a dream and atmosphere that can only be found in our casinos.

Casinoweb: The Partouche group went ahead and launched  its online poker site in an illegal fashion. Aren't you afraid that the Partouche group will gain a good percentage of online poker players? Are you going to wait to obtain the French licence before launching your live online poker site?

Dominique Desseigne: It's not part of our plan to offer anything illegal ! Therefore over the next few days we're going to launch our online business in Great Britain where online gaming is authorised and then in France as soon as the market is opened. We'll stick to the timeframe imposed by the state.

Casinoweb: The Barriere group will be one of the first groups to benefit from the French gaming licence. Is your online casino ready or is it still being developed?

Dominique Desseigne: We are ready. We'll launch our business on the British market at the beginning of March and we can do the same in France as soon as the law permits. Our partnership with MKO Games allows us to offer something very contemporary, innovative and of very high technical and artistic quality, which will be linked to the Lucien Barrière Group's professionalism in the matter of gaming.  

Casinoweb:  Thank you Dominique Desseigne for giving us this exclusive interview.

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