Lamotte-Beuvron bets on the casino

Lamotte-Beuvron, a peaceful commune in the Sologne region of Loir-et-Cher, could well become the future gambling hub of the Centre-Val de Loire region. At the crossroads of horses and forests, this small town of 4,700 inhabitants hopes that a change in the law will remedy what its mayor calls a ‘territorial injustice’.

A gamble on the future for the Sologne region

On the outskirts of the Loiret, forty minutes from Orléans, Lamotte-Beuvron dreams of seeing a brand new gaming establishment open.  Today, the most daring gamblers in Orléans have to drive more than 150 kilometres to Pougues-les-Eaux in Nièvre, or even Enghien-les-Bains, north of Paris, to spin the roulette wheel. This is frustrating for an entire region, which has been left on the sidelines of a sector that is both tourist and economic.

A casino in Lamotte-Beuvron would also breathe new life into the Sologne region, a land of forests, hunting and horse riding that already attracts thousands of visitors every year.

The 2023 law changes the game

Until recently, only seaside and spa resorts could host a casino in France, according to a decree dating back to Napoleon I. But on 14 December 2023, the law ‘aimed at reducing territorial inequalities for casino openings’ changed the game.

Paragraph 6 of the text opens up the possibility of establishing facilities in other areas, provided that they have a strong link with the equestrian world:

• the headquarters of a horse racing company,
• the site of the Cadre Noir de Saumur,
• or a national stud farm that has organised at least ten national or international equestrian events per year between 2018 and 2023.

‘The Pandora’s box of casinos has been reopened,’ recalls the mayor. 

And Lamotte-Beuvron immediately saw this reform as a unique opportunity.

Lamotte-Beuvron, the overlooked equestrian capital

The paradox is striking: how can the municipality that is home to the headquarters of the French Equestrian Federation (FFE) and the world’s second largest equestrian site be excluded from the scheme?

Since 1994, Lamotte-Beuvron has hosted the Generali Open de France, the world’s largest equestrian event, listed in the Guinness World Records. Every summer, tens of thousands of riders converge there. Added to this is the Game Fair, an international hunting and nature exhibition, which also attracts a clientele with high purchasing power.

For the mayor, all the criteria are met. However, the municipality is not among those eligible. He describes this exclusion as administrative nonsense, or even an oversight on the part of the legislator.

Faced with what he considered to be an injustice, Pascal Bioulac appealed to the then Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, in 2024. In a letter that went unanswered, he argued for a revision of the text. But the ministerial reshuffle seems to have slowed down the process.

An economic lever for the entire Centre-Val de Loire region

Beyond the symbolism, the issue at stake is clear: economic development. For Pascal Bioulac, a casino in Lamotte-Beuvron would represent thirty years of development condensed into a single project.

As president of Cœur de Sologne, the most tourist-friendly community of municipalities in the Centre-Val de Loire region, he knows what such an establishment would mean. The area already has the highest number of overnight stays in the region and collects the highest tourist tax. 

Orléans, Tours, Bourges, and even the south of Île-de-France could be affected. This would create a real centre of attraction in the heart of Sologne.

Although the municipality is showing its determination, there is still a long way to go. Obtaining a casino licence in France requires joint authorisation from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Finance, based on a solid application.

It remains to be seen whether the 2023 reform will be amended to include Lamotte-Beuvron. In the meantime, the small equestrian town continues to hope, buoyed by its ambitions and the support of a population proud of its identity.