Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1910-10-25
STARTED NEW MONTE CARLOS
Some Attempts to Rival the Now Fa-
nous Gambling Resort.


The gigantic profits, 100000 to
100000 francs yearly, which are
made by the proprietors of the gamb
ling rooms at Monte Carlo, have caused
spectators of all nationalities to sink
large sums in starting rival estab-
liShments.
The chief obstacle to these schemes
is that nearly every civilized country
possesses laws which veto gambling on
such a wholesale scale, and so it is
next to impossible to find a situation
for a casino.
About seven years ago the men who
formerly conducted the casinos at
Hamburg, Spa, and Namuh, all of
which had been lately closed, opened
a gambling club at Morcsnet, pretty,
sleepy little town on the borders of
Belgium and Germany. Formerly
Moresnet was controlled Jointly by
Belgium and Prussia but Belgium
bought it outright, and the gambling
club was opened in August, 1903, under
the name of "Cercle Prive des Etran-
gers de Calamine."
In a week it had 600 members, and
hundreds more were awaiting ballot
Rooms in the town which could
previously have been hired for four
shillings a week rose to four pounds.
Roulette and baccarat We're in full
swing, and the golden dreams of the
proprietors were in a fair way to be-
come realities when the Belgian gov
erment, which had so far showed no
disposition to put down gambling,
suddenly woke up, and a new anti
gambling law crushed MoreSnet, and
at the same time put a stop to public
gambling at OStend. The latter town
suffered So severely that her Burgo-
master and aldermen threatened to re-
sign rather than face the task of try
ing to manage without the incomes
realized from the casino.
About the same date that Belgium
prohibited public gambling two separ
ate attempts We're made to found new
Monte Carlos in the Ionian Islands.
A syndicate formed with the gigan
tic capital of e1.600.000 offered the
island of Corfu yearly sum of Ga
100000 in return for a gambling con-
ceSSiOn. Not only that. but they
agreed to spend 100000 in build
ingS. and to run a daily steamer SER
vice.
Corfu jumped at the proposal. and
all was in order when the Greek gov
ernmcnt interfcred, and the hopes Of
the spectators were once more crush
ed.
In 1901 Belgium syndicate made an
even more amazing offer to the island
of SamoS. In return for a gambling
concession a large sum was to be paid
down and To he followed by a yearly
payment beginning at GS.OO0 and riS-
ing to G4S.OOO. The promoters were
To build carriage roads and railroads
all over the island. to complete the
quays, to found banks, schools, a thea
ter. and Il circus. and make fine
park. Also to maintain a good hOspi-
tai. They were also to maintain a
tirSt-claSS steamship service with
ComStantinople and Athens.
The insular assembly passed these
proposals by 22 votes to Il, but it was
found that the majority of the island
ers were aversc to turning their is
land into vast gambling pit, and in
the end the Porte stepped in and re-
fused its consent.
The latest little Monte Carlo is to he
founded on two tiny islands in beauti-
full Maggiure. a lake which lies partly
in Italy and partly in Switzerland.
These islands. of which the largest is
less than a quarter of a mile long, will,
according To present plans, be turned
into large casino with theatcr and
a iirSt-cla hotel. the cost of the
buildings to hc El60.0O0. 1t remains to
he seen what the Italian and Swiss
governments will have to say about
the matter.
According To a Portuguese paper, a
scheme is afuOt to establish a great ca
Sinu in the island of Madeira. \ syn
dicatc has been formed with a capital
of half million, and the Portuguese
government has been offered % per
cent of the profits.
As Portugal is chrunically hard up,
it is quite pusSible that Madeira may
have its Monte Carlo. II the scheme
does mat"raliZc. il is safe To say that
it will pay enormously, for the island
is already very popular winter resort.
-Pcarson's Weekly.