RIVIERA SENSATION

Hokitika Guardian, 25 July 1931, Page 3

RIVIERA SENSATION

' CASINO OFFICIALS! CHARGED ALLEGATIONS OF FRAUD. 0 1; > . j A sensation wfis caused recently on the French Riviera by the charges contained in the monthly newspaper “La Reveil de la Montague,” in which a number of’ croupiers and other employees of the lamous Casino de Juan-les-Pins were alleged to, .be concerned in irregularities against the public involving large sums of money says the “Observer.” Additional excitement was caused by a reference in the same issue of the newspaper to Major Jack Coats, ol the millionaire Paisley cotton family who is now on a big-game hunting expedition in East Africa. Without linking the fact up in any way with the charges made, the bald statement was printed . that on one evening last July, Major Coats lost £IOO,OOO. .Major Coats has long been a familiar personality round the gamb--ling table of Paris, Le Touquet, and the Riviera. He has won and lost enormous sums with an unchanging contempt of the vagaries of his gambling fortunes. The ■ newspapers called on the authorities—whom it accused of attempting to hush up the scandal—for a full investigation to clear the good name of the Riviera.

MANIPULATION AT BACCARAT.

ft is not only declared openly that manipulation of the “sabots,” or baccarat “shoes,” in which the ' calrds are placed, has been taking place over a long period, involving players at the tables in heavy improper losses, but that the croupiers concerned had actually signed a confession to the !Surete Generale, which is France’s Scotland Yard. The newspaper contended that M. Edouard Baudoin, the director-general of the Caoino de la Mediterranee and controller of the casino at Juan-les-Pius, even if not morally responsible 'or the alleged irregularities, should see that the losers among the public were- repaid their losses. The newspaper said that high officers of the Surete Generale from Paris had gone to Nice to carry out special investigations. M. Etasse, the editor of the newspaper, when interviewed at his modest home in the environs of Nice said: — “Yes, 1 make these declaration, ana I shall make many more in the next isue of my paper. 1 have been forty years a journalist here and mine is the only newspaper which has the courage to reveal the scandal.

“They laugh at me and say it is not true and I. reply: ‘But why do they notch) somethin gi > to»< me <?b. -Then *« nnwer •is that they dare not. I am fighting for the good name of tlm Riviera, for the good name of gambling and for the good name of my country.” “LAUGHED AT CHARGES.” .The five principal casino proprietors along the Riviera laughed at the charges. M. Baudoin interviewed in his luxurious suite of offices in the palatial Casino Mediterranee as the evening crowds began pouring their way into his wide gaining rooms, said simply: “Such charges are made against gamb ling proprietors in all parts of the world.” ..... He denied that his casino in Jaun-les-Pins had been the subject of police investigation. It was (impossible he explained, so strict was the police supervision of play that irregularities could take place. Was it likely, .for. example when 65 per cent, of the profits went to the Government and a inrther 10 per cent to the muicipality that the authorities would permit cheating to occur ?

,“Why, the play is supervised by any number of police in plain clothes, representing a variety of interests,’’ lie went on. “We do not know when the, come and whom they represent. They are there like the rest of the players

and if these manipulations of the cards or the ‘shoes’ were to occur do you believe they would lose any time taking action?”

That the special department of tli— Stirete Generale employed in the control of gaining houses is always on the alert is shown by the fact that in the offices of one of the great casinos is a high brown cabinet containing nearly a hundred drawers, in which, in alphabetical order, are indexed thousands of small blue cards hearing the name of persons—many of them British—who are not admitted to any casino in the country. COLONEL AND BARONESS

One of the first names on the cards, is that of an English “colonel,” another that of a French baroness, and a third that of an Irishman. There are at lea, st 5000 of them. The lists are drawn up periodically by the special branch and circulated to all casinos in France as being the names of persons who. for one reason or another, must not be allowed in the ca-linos.

The name of every single employee from the croupier and money-changer down to the cloakroom hoy, must bt submitted to the Surete Generale before his name can be placed on the pay roll. Fortunes are won and lost in the casinos of the Riveria. One of the leading officials at the casino at Monte Carlo recently told some strange stories of gamblers—and gamblers’ luck. There was -an old lady who invariably won because she worked on what appeared to be an interchangeable svstem. She rarely backed the - same

(oiour and numbers, but was always right, and since this caused other players to follow her. the bank was broken not once but many times. Y •- she collected her winnings without a sign of triumph and save for an occasional pause for a glass of water end a biscuit, staked incessantly until play was discontinued for the night, always winning day after . day. Habitues of the. Casino ’dubbed her “Mine Mystery.’’ because she was never seen outside the Casino and none appeared to know who site was or whence she came. But one day the secret came out.

She committed suicide in a garret in the slum quarter where she lived anu from letters and diaries in her room the solution to the mystery came. It appeared that many 3' ears before her only son had been ruined, both physically and financially, by the gambling habit, and the old lady had conceived the' remarkable idea" of revenging 'lifer, self by ruining the Casino. It was probably the realisation of failure that led to the final tragedy. PERSISTENT ENGLISHMAN Not every successful gambler has so fanatical an object, but tile story of any man who breaks the bank might lie the subject of a novel. There was, for instance, the extraordinary . drain., of Joggers, the poor, but -persistent Englishman. He was quite certain that he could find some system if lie was sufficiently patient. Two clerks were employed to 1 note down all the winning combinations running over a week, and with the result of their labours daggers set to work to find some common denominator.

This obtained, he seized his opportunity and staked a small sum. It returned to him trebled. He staked again. Thus began the first sensational evening, in which daggers won over £20.000.

The next day he continued to win, but eventually the officials got wind of his system, and, determined to stop the run of “luck,” 'had the wheels changed, and he was forced to abandon the tables. But not before his calculations had resulted in a profit of £BO,OOO.

In pitiful contrast to these victories stands the long list of th e failures. Every season brings its quota of suicides; every week a man is sure to lose every penny lie possesses.