The Casino Carlow- what ye think??

madonna123

Hey..
I recently came across a thread about businesses closing down in Carlow and the boss of the Casino in Carlow posted a reply, canvassing for the granting of a license for a proper casino, as apposed to a private members club..
(which it can currently only function as). Private to members- closed door policy.

His point of view was his casino currently employs 20 something staff, provides a service, puts money in the community etc etc.

Now Id love some opinions from the people of Carlow.
Im no old prude now, im in my 20's and have been in the casino myself.

I have a few issues.. now this is just my opinion..!

Theres no door restrictions what so ever as it stands so I think maybe this campaign for a licene may be for publicity.. just a guess!!

you walk in.. sign your name?? for show really, cos I signed Minnie Mouse!!!
Just for when the guards pop in, continuing the Private Members Club pretense!

we were the door 2mins-- (already had a few drinks in us from the foundry)!!!-- we were handed new alcoholic drinks by the staff..

Then asked if we wanted take part in some games.. All the rules were explained just to help us out in case we werent sure how to spend cash!!!

I seen so many people there, mad drunk.. throwing money around.. mad to gamble!!

On the previous thread the manager of the Casino said they look after there customers and make sure no one is going mad gambling.. how is handing drunk people more drink when they walk in the door of a casino looking after its customers??????

also said the casino is safer than people gambling on line at home??? Cant really see how that is--dont think either are anymore safe than each other!!


Look getting to the point-- my opinion not crazy about the drink thats handed out--
not crazy about letting the drunk people in.

Ye have a casino-- but without the alcohol.

As I said before drunk people cant even buy a a drink in a pub, its illegal to serve intoxicated people.. under the licensing legislation-- so why why on earth would it be cool to allow drunk people in a casino???

Also they are just after moving into the building where Brown Street Bar was.
perfect location and would make a very glamorous casino, bring people to Carlow for nights out but the drink is still flowing-- the manager wondering about with dark glasses on-- (very strange)!! and at no point were we approached about how much we were spending or drinking..

Great ould system of minding the customers!!!!!!!

So what ye all think???? license or no license? Casino open door, or closed door private members club, drink or no drink?

mcaul

I'll declare a slight self interest here as I supply poker tables & chips to many casinos / private members clubs in Ireland. I don't play myself or do I enter any of the clubs except on business - this is a business decision due to the supply of the chips to the casinos.


The legislation is sooo long overdue, but at last it looks like it will finally come into being next year (won't hold breath). When it comes in it will finally being in a rake of rules and regualtions in regard to casinos and how they operate but until then there are no rules except the self imposed rules of the Gaming & Leisure Association.

On a positive point, there has been a revenue investigation & a garda investigation into private members clubs and both of these were neutral - basically, there was no major tax evasion & there were no criminal activity. - This is probably why legislation is not a priority.


On the specific point of alowing people being drunk & getting them to gamble - its a hard call. Refuse to give a drink & you can lose your customers, tell someone they've gambled too much and it may cause a row. In London, if problems are noticed the person is called aside at the beginning of the next visit or contacted in the days after a problem has been noticed. - This allows for more meaningful dialogue between the ounter & casino.

As for the move to brown street bar - its a great venue, relaxed, plush and as good as you would find in many european cities. (most cities in Europe have casinos).


The strange thing about Ireland is we have so many bookie shops, racecourses, dog tracks, lottery draws - way more than any other country per head, yet we still don't have legislation for the oldest form of gaming!

DO'Carlo/Wex

How many Casinos & Gaming Arcades are there in Carlow (& name them please)? Thanks.
Off-hand, Jay-Kays' there opposite P.O. (Deliberate location to take advantage of people collecting? Genius either way!) on Burrin St./Kennedy St.
Atlantis on Charlotte St. (NOT Brown St.)
Is there one opposite Crottys on Tullow St.? Ye know just after (is it) Jack Jones as you walk up it. It's got a brown-facade.
There's PP gone in for another one on Tullow St. where Sensations/Temptations is.
Are there more? Is there one on Dublin St. or College St.?

SIX PACK

I wouldn't recommend going in there if you have a Gambling problem
personally i know if i started going into those places again id get carried way win or lose (went a bit reckless when i was in Crown Casino Melbourne in January) that roulette game is addictive

Nead21

i know this is off topic, but SIXPACK...can you PLEASE use punctuation in your posts....they are really hard to read!!

Tom10

Casinos = Bad. Only real winner is the house, simple as.

tombull82

DO'Carlo/Wex wrote: »

How many Casinos & Gaming Arcades are there in Carlow (& name them please)? Thanks.
Off-hand, Jay-Kays' there opposite P.O. (Deliberate location to take advantage of people collecting? Genius either way!) on Burrin St./Kennedy St.
Atlantis on Charlotte St. (NOT Brown St.)
Is there one opposite Crottys on Tullow St.? Ye know just after (is it) Jack Jones as you walk up it. It's got a brown-facade.
There's PP gone in for another one on Tullow St. where Sensations/Temptations is.
Are there more? Is there one on Dublin St. or College St.?

Jay-Kays Is a Slots casino, i.e no live tables everything is machaines

This goes for Aldo Marines (<spelling?) this is also slots only.

As for been allowed into them drunk.. sure every Pub in Britian have these type machaines i.e fruit machaines as does alot of our own Pub,s here, Not so much Carlow but elsewhere

As far I I know the other 2 have live tables with dealers etc

SV

Tom10 wrote: »

Casinos = Bad. Only real winner is the house, simple as.

Would you like to wager anything on that?

madonna123

DO'Carlo/Wex wrote: »

How many Casinos & Gaming Arcades are there in Carlow (& name them please)? Thanks.
Off-hand, Jay-Kays' there opposite P.O. (Deliberate location to take advantage of people collecting? Genius either way!) on Burrin St./Kennedy St.
Atlantis on Charlotte St. (NOT Brown St.)
Is there one opposite Crottys on Tullow St.? Ye know just after (is it) Jack Jones as you walk up it. It's got a brown-facade.
There's PP gone in for another one on Tullow St. where Sensations/Temptations is.
Are there more? Is there one on Dublin St. or College St.?

carlow does have a lot of gambling shops.. but what town doesn't!!!

Its the generation we live in.. even the banking system is a gamble right now!!

But the issue I was addressing is these places taking advantage of the weakest people in society...
fair play for opening a business, creating jobs and taking advantage of an opportunity.. but dont be rootless..

if a person is gone beyond undertanding the gravity of what they are doing, by means of intoxication or lack of mental ability to make a clear judgement

thats when the line is crossed.

I know most bookies and the like have strict rules on taking bets from intoxicated people.. restrictions on pay outs and types of bets taken.. due to legislation...

But because casions are essentially illegal in Ireland.. legislation is non existent. (and tax dodging is rampent in the casino industry due to this).

I think government need to hurry up a bit and get some serious regulations in place...

Due to the nature of the business.. the law of contract is useless..

so I think legislation needs to step in to protect the weak and vulnerable.

Nead21

madonna123 wrote: »

so I think legislation needs to step in to protect the weak and vulnerable.

im sorry but how are people who make the choice to go into a casino, drink themselves into a stuper and wonder the next day where all their money went, weak and vulnerable? it is not more a case of being irresponsible and kinda stupid?

racso1975

I fully agree that legislation needs to be put in place.

Making the arguement that it is illegal to serve a drunk person would mean that the 99% of pubs/clubs in ireland would be closed down over night.

I am obviously not aware as to what level of control the casino in question has in place around limits and discussing with people if they have a problem but if they do then surely that makes it a safer environment then me drinking in a pub and going home and gambling online where i can drink as much as i like and gamble no matter how drunk i am.

I would imagine most serious gamblers will try to keep a somewhat sober head when going in there and you will always get the group that go in after a night out with money to burn and gamble it away but that there choice.

And finally just cause legislation is in place does not mean that it is abidded to i have seen may people with drink on them heading into the bookies and not a question asked. It is a very difficult thing to decide when somebody has had to much and it a particularly sensitive subject to raise with them

madonna123

Racso.. Good points all round..

Who knows what will happen.. but I know the guards in Carlow have alot of there time taken up with problems all around that casino..

Its moved now but its only a matter of time before the problems kick off again.

The casino manager Paul.. he called himself was on here recently saying the impossible..
that they monitor there customers.. restrict alcohol consumtion.. watch out for there customers..

Eh Ye!! Like you said rasco.. this is pretty much an impossible task..

I do know in relation to the drunks in pubs.. if you serve a drunk in a bar.. and something happens to them.. the publican is responable.. be it injury.. death.. or danger..
the publican is legally expected to refuse the customer or face the burden of the responcability.

Yes in practice this is impossible also.. but I do know of one publican who had to close down due to a drunken customer who was served in the bar and later died.

(As is the law in OZ for publicans)

Place the same burden of the Casino owners and attatudes may change..

shotgun mike

That casino is a complete joke. I've asked to get myself barred numerous times and even signed self exclusion forms. Unfortunatly I have a bit of a problem with drink and gambling, and any time I'm full and go up there they let me straight back in. Its absolutly disgraceful. Rang the gards buit they can't do anything about it. Its such a grey area with this private members ****e, absolutly disgracful.

drunk people, free booze and gambling. its not rocket science how they make money.

starchild

a very interesting topic not just for carlow but for casinos in ireland, i am a regular poker player , i play around 4 nights a week mainly in galway and dublin. I have played in carlow on a few occasions mainly for some of their bigger tournaments, i found it to be good fun, good staff , some good games and good banter (very important!!)

I would agree with the op about the alcohol being served, i think this is what actually gives casinos a bad name, when people turn up at 3am are fed alcohol and dont remember losing until they check their wallets the next day. Im not just applying this to carlow, im applying it to all casinos, i would cite the fitz (Dublin) as the best casino simply because it doesnt serve alcohol and the games are smoother and better as a result.

Is this an area where i think carlow could improve its operations .. yes i believe so but i stress that is my opinion based on only a few visits

Re the signing in, i had to sign in on the night and i was requested to produce id, this may have been because i was walking in at the same time as some young guys who were being turned away for not having id but nonetheless i was asked and to be fair i think i should mention that. I believe the policy in all casinos is show id once and from then on once you are known to security/staff you are let in.

So to answer your questions op

for me

licence or no licence : if casinos are to exist then yes imo they must be strictly regulated like all other business in relation to tax, operational policies, opening hours, alcohol consumption etc

open or closed door policy : i think if its a properly regulated industry then this wont be as relevant as operational procedures will be clear

drink or no drink : for me this is a definite no no but that will be up to the department of justice

one comment op and this is not intended to offend you but i dont think you should speculate as to what the gardai think about a venue. I think its unfair to the gardai to assume their opinion as i believe they are prevented from coming on public forums like this and commenting and unfair on a venue as you cant say where you got your information from.

madonna123

starchild wrote: »

one comment op and this is not intended to offend you but i dont think you should speculate as to what the gardai think about a venue. I think its unfair to the gardai to assume their opinion as i believe they are prevented from coming on public forums like this and commenting and unfair on a venue as you cant say where you got your information from.

Out one night In town after the night club, heard the guards saying they had to go sort out a problem there as they walked past.

Everyone congregates around one area, where the taxi rank is and the guards wonder around and you would quite often hear them saying where the trouble is or where they are going. they were saying they had to sort out a problem there "again" and didnt seem impressed. so I am just presuming its an ongoing issue!!!

Villain

shotgun mike wrote: »

That casino is a complete joke. I've asked to get myself barred numerous times and even signed self exclusion forms. Unfortunatly I have a bit of a problem with drink and gambling, and any time I'm full and go up there they let me straight back in. Its absolutly disgraceful. Rang the gards buit they can't do anything about it. Its such a grey area with this private members ****e, absolutly disgracful.

drunk people, free booze and gambling. its not rocket science how they make money.

Ah here lad you should be responsible for your own actions.

patrickc

I don't agree Villan, he has admitted he has a problem, has tried to take preventative actions and they won't do anything about it.

Villain

patrickc wrote: »

I don't agree Villan, he has admitted he has a problem, has tried to take preventative actions and they won't do anything about it.

Its not always easy to know who is barred and who isn't especially if staff rotate a lot which is common in that type of job.

IMO if he has a problem he shouldn't go out drinking, or if he does, he should go out with a set amount of money and no bank cards. Trying to blame the Casino is just putting all the blame on someone else for a personal problem. Take proper responsibility and don't expect others to sort your personal issues