The Société des casinos du Québec launched the largest electronic poker installations in the world, and their success is such that there’s already talk of an eventual expansion.

An escalator shaped like a space age tunnel leads people into a large, dimly lit open area where thick, black curtains cover every wall and where 25 electronic machines, each seating 10, are evenly spread out. In the center of the room, an expertly lit and modern design bar stands in stark contrast to the velvety surroundings without being an eyesore; while here and there tonight’s hockey game is broadcast on giant screens. Welcome to the largest electronic poker installations in the world.

Located at the Montreal Casino, the new game room welcomed its first players on January 18th, the same day similar rooms were launched in Quebec’s other two casinos, at Lac-Leamy (featuring a 13-machine room) and in Charlevoix (five). In all, the Société des casinos du Québec (SCQ) spent close to $5 million to design and build all three poker installations.

The initiative marks the arrival in Quebec of the electronic version of Texas Hold’em, one of the most popular poker games around. “In fact, the main reasons why we decided to go ahead with the project were the Texas Hold’em’s increasing popularity in North America and particularly in Quebec, and the fact that we wanted to meet our customers’ needs”, says Maxime Rodrigue, Gaming Director at the SCQ, who oversaw the completion of the project under the supervision of the organization’s President of Operations Claude Poisson.

Manufactured by US-based PokerTek, the electronic Texas poker all feature touch screens and are set up in such a way as to leave enough room for people to walk by without breaking players’ concentration. “The concept we developed for the Montreal Casino is based on the notion that a poker player is in fact a celebrity, hence the visual references to the theatre”, explains François Lacoursière, VP and Senior Partner at Sid Lee, the Montreal ad agency that developed the project along with design outfit Aedifica. The black curtain, itself evocative of a theatre, aims among other things at ensuring that it is the players themselves who bring color – their own colors – to the environment. “Also, lighting on the machine is much brighter than in the rest of the room, again in an effort to underline the fact that the focus is on the players, adds François Lacoursière. These people, much like performers on a stage, take on the identity of a character and operate within their own star system.”

From the moment they were available to the public, the electronic poker machines became such a hit that, more often than not, the places are packed solid. “In fact, the initiative is so successful, way beyond our expectations, that we are considering adding more electronic machines so as to avoid line-ups during peak periods, says Maxime Rodrigue. Our patrons have wholeheartedly endorsed the electronic version of Texas Hold’em. Innovation has its share of risks, but we’re willing to take those risks if it means taking the lead in our business.” (E-04.18.08)

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