French casino operator JOA Groupe has reportedly announced that it will not be re-opening its sole property in Paris after the nation’s gambling industry fully emerges from its coronavirus-induced lockdown.

According to a report from G3Newswire, the Lyon-headquartered company stated that its Club JOA Royale Paris venue was forced to close its doors in March of last year after only 159 days of service owing to the coronavirus pandemic. The source also detailed that this enterprise had been opened near the center of the French capital in January with a full 50% of its floor space dedicated to non-gaming activities, which encompassed a restaurant and bar that specialized in serving bistro-type cuisines.

Decisive decision:

JOA Groupe reportedly then kept its only Parisian venue shuttered even after the French government began allowing a selection of casinos to begin partial operations from May 19. The company has now purportedly followed up this move by officially declaring that the Club JOA Royale Paris property is to be ‘definitively closed’ and will soon be placed into ‘compulsory liquidation.’

Collective causes:

The operator purportedly moreover pronounced that the gambling enterprise located near to the world-famous Place de la Concorde public square had ‘failed to find its rhythm in a very competitive Parisian market’ before being further disadvantaged owing to ‘a complex health context’. JOA Groupe reportedly went on to assert that it will now be endeavoring to find suitable employment for the property’s 87-strong workforce either in Paris or ‘within the other establishments of the group.’

Alternative attention:

JOA Groupe reportedly furthermore proclaimed that it now intends to concentrate on other areas of its business including the ‘construction of a new casino’ in the Normandy community of Fecamp, the addition of a bowling alley to its JOA Casino Luxeuil property and the rollout of its new JOA Sports Bar restaurant concept.

Reportedly read a statement from JOA Groupe…

“We continue our acceleration in online games with the new platform at JOABet.fr, which has achieved sustained growth in the first half of 2021 and welcomed a new ambassador to its team in Djibril Cisse at the end of May.”

Parisian privation:

G3Newswire reported that the decision from JOA Groupe means that the 2.2 million inhabitants of Paris will now have only seven gambling-friendly establishments to enjoy encompassing the recently re-opened Paris Elysees Club, Le Club Barriere Paris, Club Circus Paris, L’Imperial Club Paris and Club Berri. The source explained that the city’s Club Pierre Charron and Le Club Montmartre are additionally among this group but remain shuttered owing to a stringent set of coronavirus-related public health protocols that are scheduled to end from June 30.