Clichy-Montmartre, Last Paris 'Gaming Circle,' Closes
Poker in France has been dealt a significant blow, as the last of Paris' "gaming circles," Cercle Clichy-Montmartre, has been closed by authorities. The venue had previously hosted some big tournaments and was the last of around 15 such circles left running in the country's capital.
Le Parisien, which reported on the closure, called it "the end of an era."
Paris Poker in a Tailspin
Located not far from the heart of Paris, Clichy-Montmartre was apparently the last of a dying breed. According to Le Parisien, where there were once over a dozen card clubs around the city, only Clichy-Montmartre remained after a rash of police crackdowns led to a series of closures over the past several years.
Le Parisien cited "affairs of organized crime" as the reason for the raids and closures.
Perhaps the most famous of those was The Aviation Club de France. PokerNews reported on the demise of the world-famous club, which shut down for good in 2015. The 107-year-old club was a beloved poker institution and had hosted huge World Poker Tour events with prize pools in the millions of dollars.
Clichy-Montmartre was one of the few that remained for Paris poker players, and the final one after the closure of the English Club, according to PokerNews France. It had hosted some sizable tournaments in its own right, including Winamax Poker Tour, WPT National and as recently as last December, WSOP Circuit.
The club's status as the last bastion held up until Wednesday.
The End of Clichy-Montmartre
There was some inkling of trouble in July. That's when authorities first targeted the club, on suspicion of money laundering and embezzlement of at least €10 million, Le Parisien reported. Five individuals were handed indictments at the time.
Still, the club remained running on what appears to have been a temporary license good through the end of the year.
According to PokerNews France, social media reps from Clichy-Montmartre posted a promotional message on Facebook advertising the usual daily opening time on Wednesday, along with what appears to be a scheduled tournament. When players showed up, however, the doors were locked, and a short time later, the post was taken down.
Initially, the closure was reported to be for 48 hours but now appears to be permanent. If the club does reopen, it will do so in January 2019 at the earliest as a "gaming club," apparently a new designation allowed under French law.
Clichy-Montmartre reps said on Facebook that they're working toward that goal and will be honoring all outstanding cash-game chips and loyalty points in the meantime.
"We will keep you informed as soon as possible," they wrote. "Thank you all for your many messages of support."
Clichy-Montmartre was supposed to host the French Student Poker Championship in December. The event had partnered with PokerStars to award a Platinum Pass to the winner of a special tournament composed of satellite qualifiers. The fate of that tournament is unknown at this time.
