A specialist in gambling, Jean-Pierre Martignoni-Hutin is a sociologist and researcher at the Max-Weber center (CNRS, University of Lyon-II). He discovered the world of punters during a student job in horse racing. For more than thirty years, he has been conducting field surveys, particularly in casinos.
Is playing at the casino a leisure activity for the privileged?
Historically, yes. It was rather a wealthy elite who respected a certain dress code who frequented these establishments installed in prestigious buildings, to play table games called “noble games”. Casinos then became more popular with the fun revolution of slot machines, which were legalized in 1988 by Charles Pasqua, then Minister of the Interior. THE slot machines (“slot machines”), liberty bells (“bells of freedom”), which smelled of America and Las Vegas, aroused extraordinary enthusiasm.
Hundreds of people waited in the morning for the casinos to open. There weren’t enough machines, the atmosphere was overexcited, each one-armed bandit had its own tone. The noise and colors of the money, the bell that rang at each jackpot, the champagne brought by female employees to congratulate the winner… All this seduced the working classes and the middle classes who appropriated the wealth and mythology of the place, the slot machines do not require any particular skills.
Did one audience drive out the other?
No, social diversity is remarkable in casinos, even if social segmentation persists in the most prestigious establishments – Deauville, Evian… The casino has become a place of social and generational mixing where it is easy to start a conversation.
More than a third of customers are retirees, particularly during the week, during the day. These seniors come to play, but also for the catering, the numerous activities, the shows, the tea dances. Casinos are open 365 days a year. On weekends, younger populations, couples, friends, have a “casino evening”, attracted by electronic games, blackjack, poker, slot machines. They come to play, dance, have fun, meet people. The casino is sometimes a fun rite of passage to adulthood. Its sulphurous image, the mafia side, all of that has evolved. The clientele has become significantly more feminine, the place is secure, the gaming police are omnipresent.
Who is the typical casino customer now?
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