Discover the world of casinos at the prestigious Barrière establishment in Cannes

It's hard to put a date on man's enthusiasm for gambling. As far back as the Château de Versailles, under the reign of King Louis XIV, lotteries were organised for members of the court. In view of the excesses they generated, bans were introduced by politicians and supported by the clergy to protect workers from abuse. It was Napoleon, a political leader born in Ajaccio, Corsica, who set up the first gaming establishments in 1804. The aim was to discourage illegal gambling and create a space where it could be supervised and controlled. This prevented money laundering and fraud. At the time, casinos were only authorised in seaside resorts and spas.

The first official casino was in Monte Carlo, Monaco, which opened in 1863. Shortly afterwards, the rest of France followed suit, notably with the Casino de Paris in 1890. The Casino Barrière in Cannes has been an institution and a legend since the 1900s.

The French resort concept

The Barrière group began in Trouville. Eugène Cornuché, a casino director, decided to open several casinos and create a more modern form of tourism. He came up with the concept of a "French-style resort". The idea was to bring together a casino, hotels and sports facilities to create a complex. François André joined his friend Eugène in the construction of certain projects and then succeeded him at the head of the company.

Creation of the first Casino Barrière on the Croisette

In 1951, Lucien Barrière took over the business. He established himself as a forerunner and visionary in the world of casinos. They are modern and prestigious. From 1980, the casinos were open to women. It was he who installed the first slot machines in the Casino de Cannes. He also renovated the Majestic Hôtel in Cannes, adding even more prestige to the Barrière group's establishments.

Pioneer and businesswoman at the head of the casino

Lucien Barrière's daughter, Diane, took over as head of the Barrière group and became a pioneer in a new form of female entrepreneurship. By the early 1990s, she had established herself as a powerful businesswoman.

A world-renowned casino

Dominique Desseigne took over as chairman of the group after the death of his wife Diane. Today, the Barrière group is international. It has 32 casinos and 18 hotels. Located in world-renowned tourist resorts, the Barrière resorts are exceptional places. The Group has more than 7,000 employees and generated €1.16 billion in sales in 2016.

The Barrière casino in Cannes is one of the oldest and certainly the most visited of the Cannes casinos. Although you have to be over 18 to enter the gaming rooms, the casino is open to everyone. In fact, you can take the whole family to some of the bars and restaurants in the Cannes complex. The Croisette casino resort is one of the most prestigious in France.

Poker tables

The Croisette casino offers poker tables and is a national leader. All year round, the poker tables are open to all levels and styles of play, including texas holdem and ultimate poker. You can also take part in the tournaments organised regularly in the Barrière casino's gaming rooms.

Find out more about the tournaments organised on the Croisette casino website.

Slot machines

The slot machine rooms are full of lights and jingles, it's a fascinating world. There's something for everyone, with state-of-the-art games, mystery or progressive jackpots, a ticket system for betting, and more. You can play for as little as 0.01 euro cents.

Playing is easy:

• The casino cashier exchanges your money for chips for the more traditional machines. Newer slot machines take money directly in cash or by CB card.
• Start with slot machines that are fairly easy to learn. We recommend machines with mechanical reels or 3-window video. Simply line up the same symbols three times to win.
• Choose slot machines with low stakes so that you can practise and not waste your money too quickly. You choose the amount of your bet, which can be as low as 0.01 euro cents.
• On each spin, you can win a small amount and sometimes even the jackpot. Each time, you choose whether to replay your bet on the same machine to try and win more, or to cash in your chips and change them at the cashier or try another machine.

Table games

Table games are often run by a croupier. The tables are often great fun, but be careful, the stakes can go up quickly!

The table games at Casino Croisette are :

• BlackJack
• English Roulette
• Sic Bo
• Punto Banco
• Poker
• Battle
• Etc.

Electronic games

Electronic games allow you to play against a machine on an individual computer. For example, you can play electronic English roulette in complete privacy.