Galery

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Their fame. And second, the fact that the American government knew that the gambling industry is the most lucrative source for state coffers. Third - U.S. legislature is very strict but very flexible and it protects the sector because it scores higher revenue in state coffers. And the American model, which turned Las Vegas into an adult entertainment city, is a successful model. For these things we, who deal with gambling in its organized form, envy them.

What can they be envious about?

Wherever we go there or they come to visit us, they ask us how we cope in such a tight bureaucratic environment such as Greece. Second - when they learn that for everything we need a permit from the state - even if you move a chair or a table in the casino we need ministerial decision. What they are jealous about is our geographic position. We are a Mediterranean country on the shores of the Aegean Sea and the casino is located on a large and beautiful beach of Gulf of Corinth. In short, they can be jealous because we are a resort-casino, and they are an entertainment city among the desert.

Is there some kind of ban for people addicted to gambling?

From the first day the casino opened its doors, we have been applying the rules, which apply throughout the world and especially in America. When someone has felt that they no longer play for pleasure, but the game has become a danger to them and are addicted, then they may request in writing from the casino to be prohibited from entering the casino. This is called a self-ban measure for entering the casino.

Have you had such cases?

Many. Again I will say that last year we had 1.250 million visitors. You can imagine that among them there are people who are at risk of addiction to gambling. We are aware that the risk goes hand in hand with the existence of gambling. Therefore, since 1997 - two years after the opening of the casino, our company is financing and has created a special program for psychological and psychiatric support for those of our customers, visitors or their friends and relatives who are in need. Under this program 24 hour direct telephone, which offers competent information and provides psychological help. Moreover, the program offers a therapy course and psychological support from professionals to those who want it. We believe that our work related to gambling requires us to respect our profession, but most importantly we must be able to foresee the negative consequences to which it might lead. We believe that this program covers the needs of our customers and we constantly communicate with the Center for Inter-Cultural Psychiatry, which supports the telephone line and offers treatments so that we can adapt the Center's activities, depending on customer needs. From the data center, we cannot know if the customers are ours or people who play pro-at, or are addicted to illegal betting. Because in Greece widespread are also illegal gambling in clubs for playing cards, in neighborhood cafes or in slot machines clubs in every neighborhood, and also now the online gambling. We are familiar with the negative consequences, this is why we have assumed our responsibility. We have also trained our personnel to distinguish those who may be addicted and to take them away from the game room and direct them to the scientific center to help, so that they can cope with the likely problems. We follow the rule and we do not want fun to become a hazard.

Do you have clients from Balkan countries and from which countries are the most often visitors?

In 2008, the Loutraki casino was visited by 28 000 people, and this year their number increased by 13% and exceeded 31 000 people from the Balkan countries. Most of them come from countries such as Turkey and Albania, and then rank Romania and Bulgaria.