Casino has reopened with two Blackjack tables, 50 slot machines, and 21 electronic gaming stations
After more than a year of closure and a change of operator, the casino in Soulac-sur-Mer in Gironde finally reopened its doors to visitors on September 11, after obtaining the gaming license issued by the Ministry of the Interior the day before.
The casino was forced to close its doors in July 2025 after authorities refused to renew its gaming license due to “serious and repeated breaches of gaming and anti-money laundering regulations” by the Gaming Establishments Advisory Commission, which noted the shortcomings of the then-CEO of the operating company, Roland Léas, in June of that year. As the town council did not wish to allow the outgoing casino operator to run for re-election, a new public service delegation procedure was launched in October 2025. This was awarded in May to Carré Océan, a company formed by the consortium of Smart Group, whose chairman, Bernard Chaussegros, heads the French Union of Independent Casino Suppliers (SFIC), and Hinvesto, the parent company of the former operator of the Chamonix casino (Haute-Savoie).
Bernard Chaussegros told the Journal des Casinos on Thursday, September 10, that he was “delighted to have finally obtained the gaming license issued by the Ministry of the Interior and eager to open the Soulac-sur-Mer casino.”
Chaussegros said: “We are truly delighted that this municipality, with its exceptional people, has placed its trust in us for this project. The casino is a historic and iconic landmark in Soulac-sur-Mer, and while we are confident and enthusiastic about taking over and relaunching this establishment after almost a year of closure, we remain humble and want to demonstrate our expertise.”
The gaming establishment, managed by Ange Le Floch, former director of the Barrière casino in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, opened with two Blackjack tables, 50 slot machines, and 21 electronic gaming stations. This offering gives the Gironde-based establishment considerable flexibility, as its gaming license covers four traditional table games, 75 slot machines, and 45 electronic gaming stations.
At the end of the 2023-2024 financial year, its last full financial year, the Soulac-sur-Mer casino achieved a gross gaming revenue of €1.21m and was ranked 195th in the French rankings.