Appearing on the Romanian media scene last July, CASINO magazine is a premiere for Romanian newspaper writing. As the only magazine in Romania dedicated to casinos, gambling and everything related to this fascinating world, it soon managed to gain the attention of all those involved in this business and also of others.

Apart from articles about the world of gambling, the magazine featured interviews with several stars and public figures, and we pledge to offer you even more interesting and surprising issues.

During last September, CASINO magazine has been media partner of Entertainment Arena, the exhibition for casino equipment producers and gambling enthusiasts. During October, the magazine organized its’ first event, a round table with those involved in the industry and representatives of the authorities, and the first TV show produced in cooperation with our team in The Money Channel studios is held. In December, the magazine participates as a media partner to the Luxury Show, an event which gathered the most exquisite brands in Romania in one place. A journey marked by the 3 issues of 2007 and which constantly drew CASINO magazine to the people involved in the casino business, as well as the entertainment and quality media consumers. For us, 2008 starts with a new premiere, the first number of the CASINO Magazine supplement, “For Rich Only”. In its pages you will find the image of luxury and good taste, as well as personalities which you will find more than interesting, which fit into what we refer to as the “high life”.

Each night, hundreds of thousands of gamblers enter casinos. Excitement, live games, money and chips rapidly exchanged between players and dealers. All types of persons stepping inside the casino; how does the personnel deal with al this? How do they ensure everything is in permanently in order and there are no frauds? Find out here.

Security systems

in Romanian casinos are almost identical to those in foreign casinos. The level of security depends on the country and size of the casino, and if such systems are required by law. In Romania, the state provides by law the use of motion cameras in casinos, but there are countries in which this is not required.

Nevertheless, most of the casinos use such equipment due to the fact that the security system is highly important for any casino to run smoothly, as it would be very easy to commit fraud with activities going at a very fast pace. In most fraud cases there are persons from more than one department involved, from the surveillance camera operating room to the cash registers and the personnel distributing the chips to the tables. It is very easy to commit fraud if the surveillance camera operators are bribed, since they are the watching eye of the casino.

In Romania, casinos must record an image and ID info for every person entering the casino, while this wouldn’t happen in other countries, in order not to offend the customer. In a Las Vegas casino, for the purpose of avoiding cheating or counting cards, a very efficient surveillance system is used, together with the watchful eye of supervising personnel within the casino, blending with the players.

Cameras cont inuously record players’ faces and the image is instantly compared with database images. If a cheaters’ face is spotted, it will appear on a monitor together with the exact perimeter of his location, a perimeter no greater than a few square meters. From that moment he is closely observed at the playing table or, if required, evicted from the casino.

Surveillance cameras automatically rotate 360 degrees, can also be manually controlled, and can recognize faces of those located inside the casino, whether at the playing tables or not. The supervising personnel as well as the bodyguards are very low key, compared to Romanian casinos, where they stand next to the players or at the casino entrance, displaying an intimidating pose.

Motion cameras and microphones are everywhere inside the casino, except for the toilet and the personnel’s changing rooms.

The equipment is high-end, allowing you to see the time shown by one of the player’s watch. There are about 70-80 cameras in each Romanian casino, at least two on each table, one fixed and one mobile. The personnel in the surveillance cameras operating room forms a standalone department, which is not subordinated to the casino manager but directly to the owner or shareholders. The department is operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The persons working here use a separate entrance inside the casino and have no means of communication with other employees. They have the task of drawing-up daily reports on casino activity, from waiters to the casino manager. They are usually selected from ex-dealers or very good game supervisors and are paid large salaries in order not to be tempted to fraud. They take care of rules compliance, report persons who arrive late for work, inadequate behavior with clients thus making it mandatory for them to be honest and have a large experience with gambling. Another required attribute is the ability to focus on several images, because, in comparison to the outside world where a supervisor attends to one table, they must focus on several tables at once.

There is an example of a Casino in the US which has a fake ceiling, hosting a supervisor for each of the tables underneath.

Since no one ever comes with large sums in cash, the amounts played are deposited in accounts or paid as checks, the same goes for paying the winnings. Even with all the security measures, cases of fraud permanently occur.

One example is from a Bucharest casino, where a taxi driver only played small chips and exchanged on his way out 500 and 1000 Euro chips. He was followed outside the casino and it has been found out that he was seeing one of the lady dealers. The next day, the scam was recorded and it was proved. What was their strategy? During the game the dealer used to pass a large chip to the taxi driver, which during that time only played small amounts in Lei. After that he would exchange the large chip at the pay office.

Greed is one of the main features of these offenders – they succeed once, and then try again and again with larger amounts. The two managed to steal 11.000 Euro in no more than two weeks.

What happens to the money played each night? They are put in sealed boxes, which at the end of hours are opened by a committee, and after they are counted in safety the empty box is shown to the camera.

When DID YOU FIRST START YOUR ACTIVITY IN THE CASINO FIELD?

Fifteen years ago. And I’ve never considered, since then, doing anything else but this.

WHERE ELSE DID YOU WORK, EXCEPT ROMANIA?

I worked in Turkey, before the casinos were shut, and then I’ve worked for two years in Bulgaria. After, I came to Romania; this was five years ago.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT ROMANIA, IN CONTRAST WITH THE OTHER COUNTRIES YOU HAVE WORKED IN?

Although there is an extensive market, the rules applied here are the same as in any other country, whether we are talking about the U.S.A or others. In the last few years, the market has grown up, people are earning more money now and you can see how new casinos appear every day (for example, the slot casinos).

DO YOU LIKE IT HERE?

Yes, I do. In Romania, people are friendlyjust like in Turkeyand you can make many new friends.

IS IT THE PLACE FOR BUSINESS?

Yes, it is, not only in this domain. The number of clients of our casinos is increasing; however, it seems to me that there are too many casinos already. You can find one almost everywhere and I honestly don’t know how much this will p e r s i s t .

WHICH IS THE ONE PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE BEEN AND HAS IMPRESSED YOU MOST?

I loved England, even though there were many rules I wasn’t able to understand. But it is very nice, I really liked it.

WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST A C H I E V E M E N T ?

I have an 18-year-old daughter who is making me very proud and I am the CEO of a casino. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted.

IS THERE ANY PARTICULAR SITUATION YOU ENCOUNTERED?

I had a client in Turkey who won 400,000$ on the roulette in one single night. I advised him to stop, but he wouldn’t listen, so he lost them all, plus another 200.000$. Sometimes you should know when to s t o p .

WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE CASINO YOU ARE M A N A G I N G ?

It is part of Princess Casinos and that’s all for me. It is a safe place, where you feel comfortably and where the services provided have the Princess guarantee. In fact, we are selling a pleasant way of spending your spare time, we offer prizes to the gamblers, we organize events and we intend to make people feel as fine as possible.

DO YOU ENJOY GAMBLING?

I used to gamble for fun (at roulette, as well as Black Jack).My favourite game is Punto Banco, but it’s not too common in Romania.

WHAT DOES ‘GAMBLING’ MEAN?

Gambl ing stands for entertainment. If you come to play for the fun of it, it ’s great! If you come to win money, it’s not always the case. It’s good to play for fun.

The year 2008 seems to be a rich year with plenty of adrenalin for the players who will dare to show their skills and talent at the championships and traditional gambling competitions. Moreover, many important events, regarding the future of gambling industry shall be organized, in their entire splendor, in all gambling capitals.

For many of us, January is a month of relaxing after the Holidays, but not for the gamblers, for which it is a tense moment. “2008 Aussie Millions” (Australian Poker Open) which is the biggest poker tournament in the southern hemisphere, took place at the Crown Casino in Melbourne, between January 5t h and 20t h, where the Main Event featured a guaranteed prize of 1.000.000 Dollars.

Two other season events brought excitement and winnings to the amateur and professional poker players: the “Winter Challenge” championship, which took place between the 13th and 2 0t h Of January at the Seefeld Casino in Austriaa week where Texas gold’em was the star, and the “World Poker Open” (the 6th WPT season) which took place between the 20t h and 23r d o f January at the Gold Strike Casino Resort (Robinsonville, USA). One of the most spectacular exhibitions in the world was held also in January, between the 22nd and 24th, in London.

“International Casino Exhibition – ICE”, the biggest show room dedicated to gamblers and gambling games, presented to its audience the latest news in these field. The three days exhibition from London, “Cap Euro 2008“, between the 24th and 27th of January, was especially organized for the online gambling games assistants. The CAP awards were granted for the fist time, during a very formal event. In February, Macao will take the head-lines of the magazines in this domain, due to the simultaneous international events, which wil l attract not only producers and officials in gaming, but also the public keen on information.

The 7t h edition of “Gaming Expo”, will take place between the 27th and 28th of February, at the same time with “International Audio, Lighting & Performance Entertainment Expo” (3rd edition) and “International Amusement and Game Machine Expo”. “The Casino Af f i l iate Convent ion 2008” will take place this time in Amsterdam (NH Grand Krasnapolsky Hotel), between the 3rd and 5t h of April. The marketing and advertising of the European gaming industry will be the attraction of the Convention. Two months later, top gambling analysts and officials will get together again in Saratoga Hotel & Conference Center, Saratoga Springs, for the “New York Gaming Summit” (24t h2 5t h of June) where the issues in the American gambling industry and their impact on the people will be debated.

Regarding tournaments, the organizers have a lot of work as the schedule is full. Besides the smal l compet it ions, the long awaited poker tournaments are already in preparation. World Series of Poker organizers have already announced that the grand poker tournament will also expand in Europe. These events will mark the first time the WSOP champion bracelet will be granted outside Las Vegas.

The tournament wi l l take place as follows: EPT German Open (5t h 9t h of February) Casino Hohensyburg Dortmund, Germany; EPT Scandinavian Open (19t h 13t h of February) Casino Copenhagen, Denmark; EPT Polish Open (11t h 15t h o f March) Hyatt Regency, Warsaw; EPT Grand Final (12th -17th of April) Monte Carlo Bay Hotel & Resort – MONACO. Wynn Las Vegas Resort will host, between the 26t h of February and 19t h o f March, the “2008 Wynn Classic” poker tournament , which includes 13 events, including nolimit and limit hold’em, Omaha, pot-l imit Omaha and a H.O.S. mixed event, with buy-ins between 500 and 10.000 of dollars.

Between the 29t h of March and the 19t h of Apri l, No Limit Hold’em players wil l enter the “Sport of Kings” annual competition, which will be hosted by the Los Angeles Hol lywood Park Casino.

“WPT Celebrity Invitational”, one of the special WPT competition (the 6t h season), wil l take place between the 1st and 3rd of March 2008, in the luxurious Commerce Casino in Los Angeles, event in which only massmedia and sport celebrities or players who have already entered the WPTC (World Poker Tour Championship) are allowed to enter. According to Harrah’s Entertainment, the biggest poker tournament, „World Series of Poker” (WPT) wil l be held between the 30th of May and 17th of July 2008. Presented by Milwaukee’s Best Light , the famous championship will be again held at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

In very tight competition several professional poker players will compete for the big prize, during “Legends of Poker 2008”, one of the 13 events of WPT tournament, which will take place between the 2 5t h and 30t h of August, in the same location as last year: The Bicycle Casino, Los Angeles.

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The casino world is fascinating, but you shouldnt to cross a certain boundary

LET’S BEGIN WITH THE LATEST EVENT YOU HAVE ORGANIZED.

The event held on December 3rd meant to be not only a fashion show, we also wanted to show that successful men have to have a good image, take Mircea Albulescu for example: he always had style, he always knows the trend, and at 73 years he knows more then the young. Then take Lucian Bute: he is making his first steps in this direction, but he realizes that image is important for him and he is willing to make efforts in this respect.

WAS THE EVENT A PRESENTATION OF THE WINTER COLLECTION?

Yes, but I am not a designer, this is a shop collection. My concept is a shop with quality products and services, because I can not deceive the customer. If the col lect ion that I select has a piece I like less, it will probably not sell. Why? Because if I don’t like the way an item fits a customer, I advise him to try something else, which fits. You often lose doing this, but I prefer my customers to be pleased, and I like to be honest with them, even though sometimes this is bothering. Later, they all appreciate that you’re putting their image first.

THIS MEANS YOU ALSO OFFER IMAGE CONSULTANCY BESIDE THE PRODUCTS IN THE S H O P S .

Yes, my customers benefit from a professional and honest advice, al lowing them to buy things which suit them perfectly and represent them. Among them many politicians, businessmen who ask for our advice regarding their wardrobe for certain events, depending on the place and nature of the event . You must dress in one way for a reception and in another way for a field or charity action.

CAN YOU GIVE US A FEW E X A M P L E S ?

You have seen at the fashion show held at Vernescu house persons how wore outf its bought from TRENDS by Adina Buzatu, or who declared that they buy their outfits from our shops, such as Minister Laszlo Borbely or Codrin Stefanescu, but I can’ t give you al l the names of those who choose our services… I maintain a certain c o n f i d e n t i a l i t y .

DO YOU KNOW PERSONS OR HAVE CUSTOMERS WHICH GAMBLE IN CASINOS?

Yes, I am going to make a confession: I have worked in a casino when I was 18. I have been working since I was 15 and my employer back then made me a manager when I was 17. When I was accepted to the University I continued to work, and due to the school schedule I looked for flexible work hours. I was hired as a supervisor at the Princess Casino in Bucharest. I at tended a course on rules, methods of spotting cheaters, their methods of fraud (they act alone or in groups), and I find all this useful even today, as I never had anything stolen from my shops. It was a nice but difficult period, and I had very good results at the time.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS WORLD?

It is fascinating. I have been to Vegas this summer and I was amazed by the cont inuous rhythm of play, day and night. Sadly, there are people who can not stop, who don’t play only for fun, but play all their fortunes, lose their houses.

HAVE YOU GAMBLED?

Yes, I like roulette and blackjack, but most of all roulette. Once I played 50 dol lars and won 4000. It was a great stroke of luck. I have played in Vegas, people there tend to be loud both when they are winning or losing, but they don’t curse or offend casino personnel. I have also played in Monte Carlo, where the casino customers are very rich people, aristocrats, which play for fun, even if they are winning or losing hundreds of thousand of Euro.

DOES THE VERNESCU HOUSE WITH ITS CASINO ATMOSPHERE SUIT A FASHION SHOW?

It is rather difficult to hold a fashion show inside a casino, due to the fact you can not assemble a catwalk and the guests are a bit crowded, but the final result is good, it is totally different. It also matters the kind of guests you have and their view of the event.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS?

I will open a new shop in the Baneasa mal l and other new shops in the rest of the country. I will start with Constanta and then in Brasov and Timisoara, in a franchise system. The only issue is to find people in these cities who are wi l l ing to provide the same services at the same level of quality as I do.

With a surface of 8800 squares meters, “The Palms” casino of Las Vegas is one of the biggest attractions for the players traveling here.

Since their opening in 2001, the towers have gained, in a relat ive short time, notoriety among the fans of gambl ing and betting. Here, with over 60 gambling tables, open 24 hours a day, one can came and play blackjack, craps and the roulette at the mini baccarat, big baccarat and pai gow. The advanced can enjoy The Mint, a luxury saloon on two floors, each with its one bar, where there is no stake limit at the blackjack, roulette and baccarat. On request, a VIP-only poker table can be arranged. The American football connoisseurs can place their bets in “The Palms”, bets which can bring winnings of up to 300.000 dollars during National Football League season matches. For this to happen, you must be a member of the “The Palms” and be over 21 of age.

Poker at the Palms can be played in separate rooms, both with minimum risk limit, as well as with no limit, when the big pot can reach up to 1000 dollars. In these rooms, you can find jackpots where, using the “Palms Club” cards, you can win considerable amounts dail y .

Moreover, according to Las Vegas Review Journal, in the “Best of Las Vegas” classification, “The Palms” are on the f i rst place consider ing the biggest amounts of money won by the players.

Furthermore, The Las Vegas Adviser places The Palms on the top of the list regarding the losses versus winnings ratio, registered at jackpots. Noticeable are the names of some games, such as Austin Powers, Fortune cookie, Wheel of Fortune, Clint Eastwood, Terminator, Star Wars, Men in Black etc. As well as being a paradise of games, The Palms of fers many other means of entertainment. In the year 2005 “The Fantasy Tower ” was bui l t , which cost over 600 mill ions dollars. Here can be found two of the newest night clubs “Moon Nightclub” and “The Playboy Club”. Taking in consideration that the owners of the casino, the Maloof Family, are basket -bal l lovers, The Palms is the only hotel in the world which has a basketball field. Moreover, the Maloofs own the Sacramento Kings, registered in NBA, and Sacramento Monarchs registered in WNBA. Some plans are being made, that include a third and last tower which will be called “Palms Place”, tower that is currently under construction. In September this year, The Palms hosted The MTV Video Music Awards. Moreover, at least once a year, in the chic Pearl Concert Theater Ballroom, some very attractive concerts are hold, such as Jay-Z and Kanye West for the end of this year, and Lenny Kravitz, James Blunt, Matchbox Twenty, Avril Lavigne next year. Al though i t is relat ive new, The Palms has lately become the main attraction for the youth, especially for the celebrities in Hol lywood. At this age category, its competitors are Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, both being bui lt in neo-retro style and placed outside the Las Vegas Strip main boulevard.

According to researchers, dices are the oldest game instruments in the world

Whi le some archeologists bel ieve that dices appeared 3 4000 years ago, some even older dices were recently discovered in Iran. Excavations made in the southeast of the count ry revealed relics of the Harappan civi l izat ion, among which prehistoric dices, older than 5000 years, that may indicate the Asian origin of the dice. Dices are also mentioned in old Hindu wr i t ing, as wel l as in Vinaya Pitaka, a Buddhist script naming 18 forbidden games. The famous “Mahabharata” tel ls of tales of ancient warriors who lost great for tunes on dice games. The game played with three, and somet imes two dices, was very popular with the high society in Ancient Greece, but also in the period of glory of the Roman Empire, the likes of Augustin, Nero and Cal igula being known as dice fanatics.

So popular was the game, that it determined the rulers of Ancient Rome to issue a set of new laws. One said: “no person allowing the game of dices be played in his house is entitled to address to a court of law, even if deceived or mugged”.

In his work, senator Gaius Cornel ius Taci tus, a Roman Empire historic, reveals that the German peoples permanently in conflict with the Roman empire were big fans of dices.

Cube-shaped dices, very similar to today’s, were discovered in Egipt, around the year 600 BC. A few centuries later, during the Middle Ages, dices were the leisure of choice for knights, between two wars. After the fall of feudalism, the famous German mercenar ies, known as “Landsknechts” became the most passionate players of t ime. At the t ime, apart from the numbers (from one to six), the dices also had drawings of men and animals, and in France of ladies and knights. American Indians were al ready playing wi th dices, when white Americans became acquainted to the first dices in the New Or leans area, were they had been brought by the French. For thousands of years, dices have evolved in terms of shape, method of engraving, as wel l as materials from which they were made of. A common dice is cube-shaped, usual ly with rounded edges, with points from one to six engraved on each face. While the first dices ever made were manufactured from wood, stone, bones, animal teeth and horns, and walnut peel, in antiquity they began to be made of expensive materials, such as tusk, precious metals and stone or porcelain.

The English word “die” has its origin in the French “de”, deriving from the Lat in word “datum”. Due to the fact that most of the time we refer to the game using the plural “dices”, the English singular “die” is almost unknown in compar ison to “dice”! ?

Unlike dices, which date for thousand of years, the game of craps in its modern version has been around for only a hundred years

The direct ancestor of the modern game of craps is an English game called hazard, which is remembered as the favor ite game of the soldiers during the third Crusade, in the 12th century, in a time in which they were led by the most powerful kings in western Europe: Frederick Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire, Phillip Augustus of France and Richard Lion-Heart of England. It is believed that hazard was invented long before the crusades and it very likely that the first English men which traveled on the famous “Mayflower” vessel brought the game to America. Around 1700 the game became popular with European aristocrats, in 1800 “Engl ish hazard” also became extremely popular in New Orleans, where the French renamed it “craps”.

Actual ly, the name craps came from the way the French pronounce “crabs”, the nickname of the old English game of hazard, and Bernard of Mandevi l le f rom New Orleans is renowned as the father of the game, for simplifying the rules of hazard, thus creating craps.

The Table Off version of the game became very popular toward the end of the 19th century, when casino rules imposed numbers 6 and 8, and players could only bet wi th dices against the House. At a certain time, John H. Winn revolutionized the game of craps, allowing the players to bet “right” or “wrong”, making the rules simple. If the player, after throwing the dice gets 2, 3 or 12, he loses the stake; if he gets 7 or 11 he is declared winner and wins double the amount bet . The confirmed player may complicate the rules of the game, placing various bets, such as obtaining “7” from the first throw, etc. In 1931, when gambl ing was legal ized in the state of Nevada, Craps Casinos in Las Vegas attracted gamblers from the entire world. There is proof that the game was very popular among soldiers taking part in the Second World War, as they were finding it a relaxing way to spend time between two battles.

At the beginning of the 90’s, when gambling machines (poker, etc.) became popular, craps knew a slight fall, but soon after it made a spectacular comeback. One thing is certain: the game of craps is one of the most popular traditional casino games.

No tourist attraction can rival the magnetism of a casino. What other place can determine a human being that is considered rational to ignore losing the same game 99 times out of 100 and remember the one time he won?

Bellagio, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Games: Open non-stop, 2400 slot machines, a sports bets room and 124 tables hosting every game you can imagine. Bellagio Hotel and Casino were opened in 1998 and remain among the most beautiful and noble casinos in Las Vegas, and the poker room hosts a number of tournaments everyday. Bellagio employs four times more personnel than in other cities (over 10.000), so even if you’re not winning you can certainly count on impeccable service. The most expensive hotel room in Las Vegas is at the Bellagio (6.000 dollars per night).

Ritz Club, London, UK

Games: 12 tables for American roulette, blackjack, poker and punto banco.

The aristocrat elegance of the Ritz club is probably surpassed by no other in the world. Bathed in luxurious details, this “members only” casino is the pinnacle of British class. So careful is the Ritz club in selecting its members that even a recommendation from Bond himself doesn’t guarantee you’re admitted.

Metropol Casino, Moscow, Russia

Games: Open non-stop, 86 slot machines and 11 tables for poker, American roulette, punto blanco and blackjack.

Inside the century-old hotel, which is minutes away from the Red Square and Kremlin, stands one of the high class casinos of the world, the Metropol. Black-tie is a must and it is bound to lighten your pocket before entering the casino, and given that the minimum bet is 25$, you have better bring your credit card. For the Presidential suite, decorated with beautiful stucco, Karelian furniture and silk wallpaper, the 2000 Euro per night can be considered a knock-down price.

Sun City Resort, Sun City, South Africa

Games: 852 slot machines and 38 tables for poker, blackjack, baccara, BARBUT, punto banco and roulette.

Opened in 1979, Sun City is the place where Las Vegas meets the South-African savanna. Four class hotels, an impressive casino located in a seemingly forgotten place, with two golf courses, a pool with artificial waves and a safari are just a part of the attraction of the large resort located near the Pilanesberg National Park.

St. James Club, Antigua, The Caribbean Islands

Games: 56 slot machines and 5 tables for blackjack, roulette and poker. Located in a private peninsula with a surface of 100 acres, St. James Club is the Caribbean antidote for the massive, Vegas-type resorts of the world. Although humble, the casino is sophisticated and exclusive, being generally visited by American multi-millionaires. One of the surprises of the resort is a tour of the nearby Montserrat Soufriere volcano that can be made with a rented chopper.