New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-10-16
GAMBLING IN BELGIUM.
SPA AND osrEND RIVALS OF MONTE CARLO.

SPA AND OSTEND RIVALS OF MONTE CARLO.
Some years ago one Of the leading members Of
the international society for the suppression Of the
public gambling establishment at Monte Carlo,
who was aware Of my personal acquaintance with
Leopold of Belgium, requested me to obtain from
His Majesty for publication an expression OF SYM
patty with the object which the association had
in view IL was with some reluctance that COM
piled with his wishes On mentioning the matter
TO the King. during the course OF an audience wnoh
he subsequently granted me at Brussels. he looked
at me in quizzical kind of way for few Sec
onds, and then responded to my request with an
inquiry as to whether the Prince Of Wales had
given any token of approval of the movement for
which was asking his sympathy. / was forced
to confess that l had not made any attempt to
secure the views Of my future Sovereign upon the
subject. and then, with merry twinkle in his
eve, the King turned of the conversation into the
direction of the matter in which he is the most
interested, namely, the Congo Free State. MY dip
lomatic training having taught me how to take
hint. especially when it is given by one of the
Anonted of the Lord, made attempt to revert
the question OF the suppression of the gambling
tables at Monte Carlo.
At the time was inclined to attribute the dis
like Of the King to give any expression TO his opin
ions on the subject of gambling tables TO the fact
that as peasurc-lovng man Of the world OF sin.
gular breadth Of character he objected to n move
ment which appeared in his eyes to partakc Of the
nature of Puritanica interference with the indi-
vidual pastmes Of his felow-creatures. But In
view of the recent events that have taken place
in connection with the gambling at the Casino OF
| Ostend and Spa. am inclined to believe that the
King was DESTROYS to avoid interfering with the
prosperity of the two principal watering places Of
his small Kingdom.
| In 1871 the Belgian authorities definitely and
officially closed the officially licensed public gam
bling establishment at Spa and Ostend, following, II
this respect the example Of the German Govern
ment which had few months previously abol-
| ished the public tables at Baden Baden, Wiesba-
den. Homburg and AiX-la-Charce. Before long,
however. a number Of clubs falsely described as
private sprung up at Ostend, Spa, Blanken-
| berghe, Namur, Dnant, and other places, where
gambling was carried on just the same as before,
with this difference however that whereas the
public gambling tables had been subjected to the
most stringent Government inspection, the private
clubs were not These clubs are open to anybody
and everybody. Thus. for instance at Ostend,
there are at least dozen in the town besides the
one which is located at the Casino. The clubs in
the town have nothing sly secret about them.
One is in the market place with open door
all that social reunion is held every night within
Anybody who likes enter. a secretary or clerk
at the door makes pretence Of nscrbng what
ever name one may choose to give him on q
register, and the visitor becomes forthwith a men,
| her of the club for the space of twelve months
without any kind Of Introduction, fee or formality
| being required. Another club of the same kind
| has inscribed on the front Of the house which 10
occupies in large gilt letters the words The Ger
Gle Gudule.' At the latter the game is invariably
ecartc. The players sit in the middle OF long
table facing each other. At one end of the table
is seated Of the officials of the club who keeps
the book with the list Of names of members de.
sinng 70 play. Directly game is over he calls the
names from the list. and the beaten player who
wishes to retire is replaced by another or in the cas-
of banNue ouverte. the losing player is instantly
changed at the end Of each game. By the side Of
the two players, between them and the official
above mentioned, sit two other of the club Off
Gals whose duty it is to enter all BETS TO receive
| and pay the money In notes. gold and five-fraue
pieces TO shuttle the cards, TO hold the pack not in
use, and generally 10 see fair play Large crowds
| usually stand behind each players chair betting
| on the play. Considerable sums change hands
| here every night.
| Not content with establishing in these 90
| called clubs gambling tables that are practically
| public the hell-keepers have actually had the
audacity to establish themselves in the mu-
| ncipally-owned Casinos of Ostend and Spa, es-
Establishments which belong to the respective towns
They have coolly eiucsted the municipal man.
ayers of the casinos TO lease item certain of the
larger rooms of the building for the alleged pur-
pose of establishing a private club there for the
benefit of the strangers stopping al the place.
That the municipal authorities are perfectly aware
Of the use TO which the rooms thus hired are
destined is manifest from the fact that the lessees
of the gambling tables at the Casino of Ostend
pay less than 100000 per annum for the use
OF the three rooms in which gambling is publicly
carried on during the Ostend season. a period
limited to about four months in the year.
The municipality Of Spa receives in the same
manner $50 900 for the Use of the suite of rooms
in the Caslno, which are leased to the managers
of the so-called Cercle dcs Etrangcrs. or
Strangers Club who the gambling tables
there. According 10 a report just furnished to
the Government by commission OF the Belgian
Senate appointed TO Inquire into the matter, the
net profits OF the managers of the gambling estab-
shment in the Spa Casino anount TO nearly
two millions of francs per season, whereas the
gambling tables 1T the Ostend Casino yield TO
their owners. according to III" iatters' own adj
mission, no less tnan three millions of francs.
| may add that the gambling tables both in
the spa NaslnO ana In tIldt OF oetenu
all night. frequently until nine o'clock in the
morning.
Moved by several discIaceful scandals which
have during the last summer. drawn public al.
tenton to the gambling at the Casinos Of Spa and
Os,cnd, the Belgian Senate has recently been dis
cussng the policy of cnacting a law whereby mu-
inequalities and public officials OF very kind are
prohibited under the penalty of fine and imprs:
| onment from leasing any portion OF the communal
property under their control for gambling pur.
poses. and holding them crimnally responsible IT
any gambling is done on the premises II is i'm.
probable, however that the projected measure Will
become law. For already the inhabitants Of Spa
have addressed 10 the Government petition bear.
ing the signatures Of nearly the entire population:
including those of the Mayor of the Municipal
Council of The town, and Of the Senators and
liz o. nrnfasfin1