the coastal casinos are trying to get back on their feet!
The four casinos of the Picardy coast, respectively the casino of Mers-les-Bains, Le Tréport, Cayeux-sur-Mer and Fort-Mahon-Plage, have suffered the effects of the health crisis, but they are doing their utmost to regain colors despite the difficult times.
In Mers-les-Bains and Le Tréport, optimism is the order of the day for the casinos
The casinos of Mers-les-Bains and Le Tréport, which are both managed and operated by private companies that have received a concession from the municipality, are almost in good spirits.
In fact, everything leads us to believe that the Mers-les-Bains establishment is the Picardy casino with the highest best resisted the sanitary constraints imposed by the government during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Mersois casino has fared better than the national average, justifying a Gross Gaming Product (GGP) down “only” 45%, to 2.8 million euros in 2021 (on the whole French territory, the drop in GGP is about 55%).
According to the manager of the casino in Mers-les-Bains, the beginning of 2022 was still complicated, ” (…) but we felt a boost when the restrictions were lifted, especially the health pass. It remains to be seen what the rise in inflation will do, as it may impact the household wallet “, he concludes, looking pensive.
As for the Le Tréport casino, operated by the Joa group, its 2021-2022 season looks promising. Indeed, the director of the casino, Christophe Ougen, confides that the first six months of the fiscal year have been good, in line with those observed in 2019, before the explosion of the Covid crisis. ” Tourist accommodations are at capacity here and people need to be entertained. But we remain wary “, he clarifies.
In Cayeux-sur-Mer and Fort-Mahon-Plage, investments are made to reverse the trend
In Cayeux-sur-Mer, the director of the casino, Sabrina Mortki-Blachère, regrets the poor figures despite the fact that customers are gradually returning. It must be said that the average basket has dropped, hence the drop in casino revenue of about 30% year-on-year. That said, the Cayeux-sur-Mer casino did not let itself be beaten: ” State aid has helped us stay on course and we have even taken advantage of the confinements to carry out major work. After thirty years of existence, our establishment needed a serious facelift “.
The Fort-Mahon-Plage casino has also continued to invest. Managed by the Viking Group, it has renewed more than 10% of its slot machines and is studying a major renovation project for 2023. Its PBJ, however, fell by 47%. compared to fiscal year 2018-2019, and stands at just €2,707,014.
