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Swiss Casino Resorts Struggling

SWITZERLAND – As reported by SwissInfo: "swissinfo discovered during a tour of mountain casinos that only one of the five - Crans Montana - appears to have been dealt the right cards.

"A few players place their bets on a roulette table in Crans Montana's casino.

"…But managing director Timothy Cullimore is not concerned. It is a slow Monday evening, a week before the start of the busy winter holiday period when the resort fills up.

"…'We need both groups [tourists and local residents] to have a successful casino,' Cullimore said, explaining why Crans Montana was the only mountain resort to turn a profit in its first full year of operation.

"This simple equation was apparently lost on the Swiss government when it granted casino licences to cities and towns in 2001.

"Of the approximately 20 licences, six were given to mountain resorts in the belief that casinos would provide a boost for the stagnating economies in alpine regions.

"…However, it would seem there are not enough big spenders among the wealthy tourists who come to resorts like Zermatt and St Moritz.

"And the fact that they are isolated mountain villages works against these places as far as casinos are concerned, since, unlike Crans Montana, most are too distant from population centres…"

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