Paris welcomes its largest gaming club
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11 May 2026 •
Reading time: 4 minutes
In Paris, a new gaming giant is set to open its doors. The Partouche Casino Club will welcome its first customers on Tuesday, near the Champs-Élysées, having received authorisation from the authorities.
An establishment designed to take things to the next level
In February, the trial of gaming clubs in Paris, which involved seven establishments, was made permanent. This green light paved the way for a major project led by Partouche, a major player in the casino world. Its new club will be located near the Champs-Élysées, in a neighbourhood already associated with tourism, luxury hotels and nightlife.
Spanning four floors, the venue will offer card games, poker, craps, blackjack and punto banco. Fabrice Paire, Chairman of the Partouche Group’s Executive Board, states that roulette is expected to be introduced later this year, according to what the Ministry of the Interior has reportedly communicated to the group.
Why Paris is banking on gaming clubs
Paris does not have traditional casinos like other major French cities or tourist resorts. Gaming clubs occupy a unique position there, subject to strict regulations. Unlike traditional casinos, they do not offer slot machines.
The Partouche Casino Club aims to make the most of this unique feature. It will also be able to host international poker tournaments, a key way to attract a specialist clientele and boost Paris’s profile in the gaming world. Fabrice Paire believes that the opening of this new venue will bring a fresh dynamic to Parisian clubs.
Croupiers trained ahead of the big night
A few weeks before the opening, in Saint-Cloud, near Paris, around thirty future croupiers were training at the All’In Casino Experts school, a training centre similar to the Kapa Casino School in Belgium. In total, around sixty candidates were selected from 550 applications received by France Travail for this fourteen-week course, commissioned by Partouche. At the end of the course, the group hired 45 of them.
The role of a croupier demands precise, almost mechanical discipline. François Peretti, co-founder of the All’In Casino Experts school, emphasises the rigour required. In his view, the most motivated candidates are given priority. The entry requirements are also strict. You must be a European national and have a clean criminal record. After selection and training, the candidate must still receive approval from the Home Office.
Mastery of numbers is fundamental. But arithmetic alone is not enough. Giovanni Bulzomi, director of the Partouche Casino Club, points out that handling chips or cards cannot be improvised. Cutting stacks of chips, holding the cards, shuffling them or dealing them all follow highly codified methods.
An opening with high economic stakes
The Partouche Casino Club will employ a total of 250 people. For novice croupiers, the advertised gross salary is around €2,000, to which tips and overtime may be added. The club will open at midday and remain open until 6 am the following morning.
The financial target is ambitious. Fabrice Paire expects the club to exceed €30 million in annual gross gaming revenue – that is, the difference between players’ stakes and their winnings. To reach this threshold, Partouche is banking on the location, the size of the venue, the variety of games on offer, and a gradual move upmarket, particularly with the anticipated introduction of roulette.
A floor reserved for a more discerning clientele
The new club will feature a floor with a more hushed atmosphere, where smart dress is required. Fabrice Paire wants these players to find an experience in Paris comparable to that offered in major international casinos.
This move upmarket could become one of the hallmarks of the project. Paris already has a strong image among high-end tourists. The club aims to attract a portion of this clientele, particularly those who frequent the capital’s major hotels.
A venture under scrutiny
The opening of the Partouche Casino Club marks a step towards the standardisation of Parisian gaming clubs, which are now firmly established following the continuation of the pilot scheme. But this growth comes with strict oversight. Gambling remains a sensitive sector, subject to precise rules and constant monitoring. The training of croupiers, ministerial approval, the absence of slot machines and the surveillance of the tables serve as a reminder that the activity remains strictly regulated.