French casinos hopeful of tax exemptions as new closures kick in

Whilst most are initially for two weeks, the curfews could last until December 1, but this requires a vote in Parliament. As well as Ile de France, the areas include Marseille, Lyon, Montpellier, Toulouse, Lille, Saint-Etienne, Grenoble et Rouen and Guadeloupe.

The Minister of the Economy, Finance and Recovery asked the banks to examine a postponement of the repayment of loans guaranteed by the State for all companies in difficulty, in particular in the hotel and restaurant sectors, events and sport.

“Everything that needs to be done will be done” to help companies “get through these weeks of curfew with the lowest possible economic impact,” he explained. Finally, state guaranteed loans offered until December 31, 2020 will be extended for six months and available until June 30, 2021.

No measure directly affecting the Parisian casino or gambling club sector was mentioned by the Prime Minister or the Minister of the Economy. After having been systematically dismissed (with the exception of the Aix en Provence casino) by the administrative courts of the proceedings brought in interim relief, the casino groups have turned to the highest administrative body, challenging the second wave of closures.

The association Casinos de France, which brings together 150 French casinos, out of the 202 in the sector, wrote to Prime Minister Jean Castex about the situation.

Recalling that since the deconfinement, the rigorous sanitary conditions applied in the casinos have seen no clusters of infections in the casinos or clubs, Jean-François Cot, President of the union, said, adding that he was concerned about these decisions which reflect a lack of knowledge from the prefectural authorities.

“The total closure of casinos and gaming clubs only worsens the already very fragile situation in our industry since the start of the crisis, without however playing a decisive role in the fight against the spread of the virus. It is obviously very damaging for national and local economies,” he said.