Saturday, Jan. 6, 2007

• Email
• Print

French casino table game workers go on strike

By Sarah Polson

Unions called their gaming table workers out on strike after wage negations broke down on New Year's Eve in France. At dispute is a pay raise and possible law changes that could affect their jobs.

The unresolved dispute centers on pay raises for casino workers who think they should be getting more of the casino's profits. They want a 5% increase in wages, while casino operators are only offering 2%.

Casino workers unions are also concerned about new gambling regulations that could result in a loss of jobs for them.

Changes have been proposed to French lawmakers that would authorize electronic versions of table games such as blackjack, poker and roulette. Workers fear this could replace real tables and mean a loss of up to 3,500 jobs in the nation.

The strike came at a time that could hurt the casinos most. New Year's Eve is one of the busiest business days for the industry in France.

More News

• Online poker in Obama's book
• iMEGA fights Minnesota block
• Frank reveals online gambling legislation
• Gowen lawsuit tilts
• Poker sites on Minnesota block list
• Minnesota attacks online gambling
• California inching towards legal online poker
• Internet groups defend gambling domains