I recently returned from France (vacation) and checked the VP options along the way.
First, many complain about the downgrading in Nevada (I agree that it's painful) and the self-regulated Indian casinos. Commercial casinos and racinos have too many greedy politicians grabbing increasing amounts of the take through exorbitant taxes. No argument on any of these issues.
These concerns are pallid, however, compared to the options I saw in France!
Casino Ruhl (Nice, Cote D'Azure): This is not in the Partouche Group. Beautiful location facing the water; entry manned by suits, who were polite and formal in their greetings; foyer has paintings (same artist) and comfortable sitting area.
Denominations: .50, 1, and 2 Euros (Dollar is down and I received a .75 rate for cash Euros, including fees, before I left. This means that to approximate, multiply Euros by 1 and a third to determine $ amount; example, 60 Euros= $80.)
Condition of Machines: Antediluvian would be a compliment! If one was malfunctioning and you tried the light, it probably wouldn't work. I asked for a mechanic and the suit almost laughed. (I returned three weeks later, since my plane left from Nice, and it was still broken.) Three functioning Vp machines at this bank; One short-pay Double Deuces; two short-pay joker poker (53 card deck). The other side of the bank had 4 machines that required 2 Euros. (Very short-pay JOB with glass that said, "Like Las Vegas")
No TITOs.
Paytables: Everything is in French, which I can speak, although not fluent. Best game was JOB.
Mise 1 Jeton (one coin); 2 Euro machine; most require 20 coins for 800/1 RF return
1-2-3-4-5-9-25-50-800 (Full-Coin): 98.45%
Make sure you brush up on French before hitting buttons.
All VP machines have the double or nothing option. (Quitte ou Double.) You respond with yes or no and push the correct button. (Vous repondez alors par "oui "ou par "non" en appuyant sur les boutons correspondants.)
Jacks or Better (2 Valets Ou Mieux); 2 Pairs (Double Paires); Trips (Brelan); Straight (Quinte); Flush (Couleur); Full-House (Full); Quads (Carre); Straight-Flush (Quinte Couleur); Royal Flush (Flush Royale)
Other Information:
300 total machines, mostly non-VP slots
Free Entry; Address: 1 Promenade des Anglais- 06000 Nice; Telephone:04 97 03 12 22; Fax: 04 97 03 12 99
Other Casinos: Partouche Group
Overview: 52 casinos, over 40 of them in France. All are for high rollers and have some tables in English. There is one in Switzerland that has 150 machines, some are VP; Belgium has a casino with BJ and Roulette; Spain has a casino with Roulette, BJ and Poker (no VP)
Casino Palais De La Mediterranee (Nice, Cote D'Azure)
Located a few blocks from Casino Ruhl (15 Promanade Des Anglais)
Casino was closed, but an employee gave me this information: Entry fee is 35 Euros; No VP; Punto Banko, Stud Poker and Blackjack; Very posh and strictly for high rollers.
Summary: Casinos in Partouche Group are mainly for whales who play BJ, Punto Banco, Roulette, Stud Poker, and a few have Caribbean Stud. All casinos were more formal than in the U.S. and players were very low-key.
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