Casino
Royal
Living the High Life
The impressive casino is housed in a splendid luxurious building. The white marble fireplace, the Art Deco style decor and the frescoes on the ceiling are reminiscent of a bygone era. In order to play here one must undergo a security check. The upscale atmosphere is not ostentatious. Here experienced players spend large sums of money daily
Visitors not used to this type of setting will find this an astonishing place indeed.Before entering the casino I had to register. A cool mannered man asked for my passport as well as my address. After a few taps on the keyboard I was registered in the worldwide database networking all of the large casinos. I can go to any casino and I will already be on file. In the event that I am refused entrance to any casino, for whatever reason, I will be barred entrance to all other casinos as well. I had to be on my best behavior. After my registration I bought my chips. One must buy a minimum of 20 euros. I bought four chips in denominations of 5 euros so I could prolong my playing pleasure.
Nothing is more exciting than living your fantasy. Mine was simple enough. My dream was to bet on number 20 black like Lola did in the German movie ‘Run Lola, Run’, (Lola Rent, in the original version) starring Franka Potente and Moritz Bleitreu. Of course, I wasn’t going to start screaming like the character in the casino scene. Nevertheless, I expected my number to win. It took awhile for me to get to the gaming table.
That afternoon there was the usual middle-aged crowd of regulars seated at their designated tables. They were given the utmost respect. As for myself I wandered around the tables watching the crowd and I just couldn’t bring myself to place my little 5 Euro chip on number 20 at the Roulette table.Nearby a man jumped up from his seat to place a handful of chips on number 34. He won and collected 3,600 euros! I decided then and there to make my move. Holding my breath I reached out to place my chip on number 20 on the table. There, it was done. I felt so out of place, it was almost painful. I waited for the roulette wheel to stop turning. Number 20 didn’t win. I watched my chip disappear without further ado.
I had four chips left. Having already been around the tables I was attracting some suspicious looks. The others could probably sense my uneasiness. Maybe they thought I was up to no good. I was thinking of calling it quits and decided to place my last four chips on four different numbers. Maybe I would win this time. Maybe I should have remembered the numbers of the man who won earlier. Would inexperience keep me from winning? No. All the players would lose their bets. I may have lost 20 euros but I did have the thrilling experience of having been in, as noted by Marlena Dietrich, the world’s most beautiful casino.
If you decide not to play, you can opt for the guided tour. You may not experience the lavish gaming salons but you’ll be able to soak in the atmosphere of this sumptuous 200 year old casino.
Baden-Wurttembergische Spielbanken GmbH & Co. KG
Spielbank Baden-Baden
Kaiserallee 1, im Kurhaus
D-76530 Baden-Baden, Germany
Telephone: +49 (0) 7221/3024-0