No smoke, but fire in Holland
On June 30, all 14 Holland Casino properties in the Netherlands complied with the national smoking ban. In fact, the monopoly casino operator introduced the measure one day earlier than the required July 1 start date. The reason: Management considered it too unwieldy to ask clients to stop smoking at midnight on June 30, which the law mandated. It was deemed more practical to move up the start date.
That same practicality is at work among those looking at the future of the government-owned company, according to a recent article in the Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad.
“We are currently too dependent on the games,” said Flip Doetsch, media relations manager at Holland Casino. “We need a more expansive product.”
According to Doetsch, the company is looking at moving more in the direction of-where else?-Las Vegas. The idea would be to develop more amenities for the gaming properties, such as hotels, spas, theaters, dance clubs and nightclubs. The group has long provided a well-developed restaurant and bar offering.
In recent years Holland Casino has experienced a trend toward more annual visits but lower spend per visitor. Now the smoking ban is expected to hurt the bottom line even more. Smoking is allowed inside special glass cabanas, but these are expensive. Plus, there is the constant pressure from the E.U. to open the market to competition.
Three think-tanks are currently working on solutions to the problems. This summer they will present their plans to the government for approval.
