New casino offers gamblers free drinks
Gamblers will have access to unlimited free drinks at a new casino in Dublin, it emerged today.
There will be no upper limits on the bets members are allowed to place against each other at the Sporting Emporium, a private members club which aims to attract 10,000 members within its first year
Chief executive Martin Moore said members would be offered complimentary drinks while they played games such as poker, roulette, banco and blackjack at the club.
“There’s no formal limit but obviously we will have operators who will know if the member is overindulging. Drink is only a small aspect of what’s upstairs, it’s provided there on a complimentary basis,” he said.
“It’s not intended that members go in there, sit at the bar all night and fill up. It’s just there to provide a bit of atmosphere I suppose, and we’ll be monitoring that very closely.”
The club, which will stay open from 2pm to 6am, is not restricted from serving alcohol after pub closing times because of its status as a private members club.
There will also be no limit on the bets which can be made.
“If a member wishes to stake 50 cent or €50,000, if there’s another member willing to accept that risk, the bet can be taken,” said a club spokesman.
Management will be monitoring the size and history of bets to guard against the risk of money laundering.
The Sporting Emporium is located on the second and third floors of a refurbished building just off Grafton Street.
Along with the betting shop on the first floor, Chronicle Bookmakers, it will employ 85 people.
Financier Dermot Desmond, who owns London City Airport as well as stakes in Manchester United and Celtic, is investing €5.5m in the two ventures.
Although the bookmakers will be open to the public, members wishing to join the Sporting Emporium club must be over 21, present photographic ID and take a biometric fingerprint test.
Mr Moore said the club, which will be open to both ordinary players and high rollers, was trying to create a new environment where members could bring in their wives and girlfriends.
“It’s really trying to broaden the scope of betting to a wider audience and bringing people in,” he said.
The club is aiming to take 25% of the market in Dublin, which currently has about 15 private members’ gambling clubs.
It will have 14 traditional card and poker tables, eight blackjack tables, six roulette tables, one banco table and one table for pai gow, a Chinese gambling game.
