Holland Casino, one of the leading casino chains in the Netherlands, has taken an innovative step to counter increased gambling taxes: adding an additional zero pocket onto their roulette wheels. This change more closely aligns it with American-style roulette that typically contains both zeroes, unlike European standards that only feature one.
American roulette players may be used to seeing two zero pockets; this phenomenon is rarer in European roulette which typically boasts a lower house edge thanks to its single zero. When additional zeros are included, their inclusion nearly doubles the house edge from 2.7% to 5.26%; additionally, games which employ “en prison” rules can reduce it even further to as little as 1.35% for even-money bettors, providing some respite whenever their ball lands on zero pocket bets.
Adapting to Economic Challenges
Holland Casino has devised this plan in order to tackle difficult economic conditions such as rising wages, interest rates and energy prices as well as gambling taxes that will rise from 30.5% to 34.2% later this year. Anticipating an anticipated expense surge of EUR30 million (approximately US$31 million), Holland Casino is exploring various avenues for cutting costs while increasing revenues – possibly including reduction of workforce of 3,500 staff to meet its 20% cost-cutting goal.
Success of this initiative remains uncertain. A spokesperson from Holland Casino highlighted its experimental nature by noting it may lead to less revenue if players leave sooner due to having another zero on roulette tables.
The Evolution of Roulette
Common belief holds that single zero roulette wheels were created as originally. Yet early wheels, dating back to France in 18th century, featured two zeros. Double zero roulette became more widely known during mid-1800s through French entrepreneurs Francois and Louis Blanc, first making an impactful statement at Bad Homburg spa town and ultimately coexisting until early 20th century when player-oriented single zero wheels gained prominence.
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