Casino at Sandy Bay
By SIMON RAVEN 1 FIRST heard about our local Casino when I came out of the dog-track one evening and found a card be- hind my wind- screen wiper, pro- mising roulette, dice, chemin-de- fer and poker all 4>oide . night and every -4' a night (and indeed every day as well, starting at 11 a.m.) in the newly opened Beach Hotel Casino. This sounded prom- ising (apart from the fact that I had not heard of the Beach Hotel); and when, a day or two later, someone saw an advertisement in the local paper inviting the world to attend the Casino and win £100,000 for 2s. 6d., we made up a party on the spot.
The hotel turned out to be slap on the sea front—as seemly and traditional a situation for its new function as for its old. The effect was rather spoiled, however, by a sign which directed one to descend into a basement area and enter by the tradesmen's door. Inside a very polite young lady welcomed us, and explained that under the new gaming laws the Casino was legal but had to be run as a club. Membership was inexpensive (5s. a fortnight or £1 for a whole year), but the club did not serve alcoholic drinks as drunken losers were apt to become spiteful. Musing that this was even more true of sober ones, we paid our subscriptions and were shown into the Casino proper.
The ample activities and rewards promised by the advertisements had led me to think in terms of plush and chandeliers—a foolish illusion which had somehow survived the descent into the area. We found ourselves in a long room furnished down its entire length only with trestle tables on to which had been pinned roulette cloths such as one may buy at any reputable toyshop. On the central table was a wheel—also of the toyshop variety—and behind this was a tall and ineffective-looking man flanked by two sinister but (as it turned out) equally ineffective familiars. Apart from ourselves there was only one other player present, but a curious touch was provided by a table which had been crammed into one corner, for the use of the press.
The man behind the wheel—the proprietor, it seemed, and also the father of the girl at the door —began to explain the form. Later on, he said, we were all to be interviewed, meanwhile, let us play—in cash: half-crowns were the obvious and most convenient unit, we would find, and half a crown was both the minimum and the maximum stake on single numbers; he would accept up to ES on an even chance, and other bets were graded proportionately. The law said that the game played must not favour the house; and Zero therefore did not count—we could not back it, nor, if it came up, would our stakes on anything else be forfeit. But in order to acquit the house for its trouble, an entirely legal 'table charge' was made of sixpence per bet--regardless of the size of the bet. Thus, when one put one's half-crown on a number one must also place a sixpence on top of it, which would be collected by the house, win or lose. But what, we inquired, about chemin-de-fer and the other games? Should there be sufficient popular demand, said the proprietor with a grand air, then a space for card tables would be cleared at the end of the room : one of his 'croupiers' would supervise the play and the players would pay the house 50s. per head per hour for this service. But roulette was the only thing going at the moment. Perhaps we would care for some change?
When we had all been provided with mounds of half-crowns and sixpences, play of a sort com- menced. It was very slow, despite the small num- ber of players, because it took a long time to place sixpences on top of all one's bets and even longer for the familiars to take them off again— which had to be done, it appeared, before the wheel could be spun. When at long last a num- ber was achieved and announced, further delay (and some hysteria) was occasioned by the familiars' entire ignorance of the correct odds on which to pay out and by the proprietor's mental arithmetic, which was unequal to multi- plying half-crowns at any odds whatsoever. In any case, just as we had managed, by giving the staff some useful basic hints about their prole' sion, to induce some kind of life into the garni we were all ordered to stop out of deference the god in the corner. We were now—ar. Heaven alone knows how or by whom this It' been arranged—to be interviewed—and phot graphed—for the local newspapers The photographer was quite as dilatory ii sphere as the casino proprietor in hi,. 111 eventually he achieved a picture of the who spinning and another one of my brother giving pound note in exchange for sixpences. As ti 'act' had to be repeated about ten times ',tailor he succeeded in achieving what be wanted. were getting impatient—we were there t gamble, not to provide free advertisement for 11' Beach Hotel Casino; but the reporter was morseless; he wanted interviews. Having repelle a determined flanking attack by the proprietor daughter, who had got herself up a real treat i honour of the photographer, the reporter al ';ra fastened on my unfortunate brother, who ha gone very red with the effort and annoyance exchanging all his pound notes for unwanto 'table money.'
'And what do you think of having a re casino here in Sandy Bay?'
'I think,' said my brother, pulling himself 't° gether, 'that it is a disaster. It is now two hour since I have been able to have a drink. 1 113' been landed with every sixpence on the Soul coast. And though I have certainly won a fe pounds at roulette, it has all been taken aNV from me by my friends who have lost.'
Before the proprietor could complain, it w.
his turn to be interviewed. 'And how, Mr. , i Er, do you foresee this enterprise developing?' t) 'I foresee,' said Mr. . . . Er in unctuous toll 'a great benefit to local trade and to local ch zens generally. A percentage of my profits is t go towards lowering the rates. With the rest, in hope to build a chain of casinos, and the moor lei these will attract will make for widespre3 prosperity. I consider myself as functionin ai wholly in the public interest, and I have dc cated myself to this end.' be After this the players—all five of us-- left 1' licensed premises. na 'Come back soon,' called Mr. . . . Er 110.0f fully, of 'But ilommn, Martha, syndic:atty., ant in.st be oll sick!'
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