Inteview with Ludwig Verschl – Technical Director of the Spielbank Baden-Baden

Reinhold Schmitt
ISA-GUIDE Chefredakteur (V.i.S.d.P.)
E-Mail: info@isa-guide.de


We speak with managers, directors, shareholders and personalities from the gaming house and Casino industry. ISA-CASINOS analyses current affairs and interesting news for you, today we speak with Ludwig Verschl, Technical Director of the Casino Baden-Baden.

ISA-CASINOS, Editor of Chief, Reinhold Schmitt: Mr. Verschl, for how many years are you in the Gaming Bank Baden-Baden and how were it happen when you getting appointed to it?

Ludwig Verschl<br>Technical Director of the<br>Casino Baden-BadenLudwig Verschl: Since 1967 I am in the Spielbank Baden-Baden actively working, actually came I – at that time over the activity with one here in Baden-Baden resident clearing bank – in contact with the Casino. The environment interested and fascinates me still until today. I applied at that time full of enthusiasm and my employment was posed the switch for my vocational development, which led finally to my appointment as the technical director of the Spielbank Baden-Baden. My request as a technical director of the Spielbank Baden-Baden is to lead this house with consciousness in order to offer the visitors a completely special attraction of the city Baden-Baden; to become fair in addition belonged also the requirements of our guests, who expect here always special.

ISA-CASINOS: Today you are technical director. Has since that time of beginning to today anything memorable changed?

Verschl: Naturally, there changed very much. Remember only times that there was here 1967 still not one of the play automats. These were introduced to the Casino Baden-Baden only 1981. The first Casinos, which had introduced to Germany play automat devices, was as well known settled in the north Germans area. Also the play offer was, under present circumstances regarded, partly different. There was at that time for example still the Punto Banco, but no Poker, Black Jack or American Roulette.

ISA-CASINOS: What characteristics represent a typical Croupier for you?

Verschl: Thus I think that a Croupier must fulfill certain conditions, it qualify for a suitability. In addition count certain manual talents, mental agility as well as a responding appearance. Those are with security the most important criteria of the personal profile – those constitute the typical Croupier actually already.

ISA-CASINOS: How do you see the training of the Croupiers, how does this look like, who becomes this trained in the house here or do you obtain Croupiers from outward?

Verschl: We handle as the most Casinos and we accept only Croupiers, who went through our school. Since 1950 there is the tradition-conscious Croupier school of our house, we offer training carriers in all sections.

ISA-CASINOS: That is, you train your Croupiers in the classical plays of roulette, Baccara, Black Jack,Poker….etc…?

Verschl: We cover the entire play offer with basic -, auxiliary and perfecting courses. The acquisition of this generally recognised and renowned certificate enables to become fair the Croupier the broad spectrum of our play offer varieties. It can be quite that a candidate for getting promoted in our house cannot show the necessary certificate of its degree and thus for this reason eventually is not assigned, until the necessary certificate is present and the necessary training was completed.

ISA-CASINOS: Do you take over the Croupiers, who you do train here?

Verschl: Since we train as required on demand, the people are usually also taken over.

ISA-CASINOS: In former times were called the better times, gave the visitors more moneys in the Tronc? How is it today thereby?

Verschl: First of all and do not want I can not judge whether the times were better in former times; today anyhow much is different, that is not a question. In former times it flowed indeed more money into the Tronc but that in the today’s economic situation many people hold their money – figurativy spoken – longer, is clear and we also get to feel it. But we feel naturally also that it gives evermore Casinos and not only here in Germany. Since according to attractive offers are present, and the location of the Casinos means a regional history is naturally also always as means surely the increasing Casinos density an increasingly growing challenge.

ISA-CASINOS: How do you judge the general situation in the gaminghouses? One speaks of crisis tendency and falling conversions.

Verschl: We have here surely no crisis tendency, and if I put the numbers for the year 2002 (gross play incomes 35.2 millions EUR) at the basis, also a small increase in sales, however causes by the automatplay.

ISA-CASINOS: That means thus, how in all other gaming houses the automat play from the incomes is the number one before the classical play?

Verschl: That is like that.

ISA-CASINOS: Of which large profits, which made your guests here, do you remember?

Verschl: Naturally one can call some, for example gave it once a player there, received at the Jackpot the proud sum of 1,4 million D-mark. That had it in the sense of the word, the language strike – he could not speak any more. Then we had once a Chilean player, who won 3 million DM in the roulette in few days. He played maximum on simple chances and at the same time at several tables. Enormously!

ISA-CASINOS: You are well-known that you are not sparing yourselves any effort for the classical play in the gaming houses. How do you judge the future chances?

Verschl: I see completely certainly chances for the classical play- and above all here in the Spielbank Baden-Baden, where that always played the classical play a special role. With us – and our experience again and again – the people have still another requirements. It is also today still expected that even our Croupiers sits there in the tuxedo that there is an appropriate dress order and the ambiente corresponds, what the people already from the television knows. I am convinced of the fact that we have exactly here our niche! This classical range, even if it becomes smaller now, will must be smaller, is a domain for a traditions’ casino such as Baden-Baden.

ISA-CASINOS: Many prominent guests visited the gaming house Baden-Baden, of whom youre mind yourself particularly gladly?

Verschl: I remember many guests very gladly, but if you liked to speak now of the prominent guests, I can call Bill Clinton (ISA-CASINOS reported) in recent time the former American president. Also almost all Federals President were here, I remember a discussion with Mr. von Weizsaecker and its wife or the Czech president, Mr. Havel. Were a quantity of people from the international policy and economics with us to attendance. There are patronages from the Saudi king house, there were maybe in the meantime a set of princes. I remember also innumerable Russian and Chinese Ministers, who were here – I could continue the row still for a long time…

ISA-CASINOS: Also were personalities from television, film or the media here?

Verschl: Natural, I think thereby of Heiner Lauterbach (ISA-CASINOS reported), the well-known television star from many series and features, who was a few weeks ago here, of it have you also reported…. By the annual award of the German meda award there are of course always points of contact with crowned and uncrowend heads.

ISA-CASINOS: What distinguishes the gaming house Baden-Baden inparticular?

Verschl: The gaming house Baden-Baden is one the oldest, of most fortunate in tradition and probably also one of the most beautiful Casinos at all, this is already with certainty completely a special honour.

ISA-CASINOS: Is Baden-Baden excellent also with the“5-Star-Diamond-Award“?

Verschl: Indeed so far only the gaminghouses Baden-Baden and Monte Carlo in Europe have the5-Stars-Diamond-Award, which receive highest American honor forservice enterprise, whereupon can we also right be proud. With allguest inquiries, which we ourselves or the marketing companyaccomplished, we received only without exception Bestnoten.

ISA-CASINOS: What makes the Spielbank Baden-Baden against gambling addiction?

Verschl: We make here a lot and at this very engaged with our daily Hotline in co-operation with the working group against gambling addition Arbeitskreis gegen Spielsucht e.V. (ISA-CASINOS reported). However, I think, with the given offer in this form is hardly somewhere otherwise offered. Here one can step into contact daily with particularly trained specialists within this range by telephone. The players receive a competent and comprehensive consultation and can on request also obtain experience on discussions, dates and addresses of addiction advisory boards at their place of residence.

ISA-CASINOS: It is well-known that the gaming house Baden-Baden and Konstanz is to be taken over by the county Baden-Wuerttemberg. How do you deal now with it? How does the gaming house Baden-Baden thereby go over…?

Verschl: How you know, the partners complain against this decision, the exit are surely still open and you understand that I cannot express myself as a technical director in addition. I see my task in setting everything to the fact that it – if it is like that to be one smooth operating transition to will be given. I will constructively cooperate.

ISA-CASINOS: How affects itself however for your coworkers?

Verschl: First surely not at all, because during a smooth operating transition – and of it is to go out – the coworkers are taken over. As then at later time the new operator decides, in addition I cannot say anything about it.

ISA-CASINOS: What is the personal goal of you, Mr. Verschl for the future?

Verschl: If one worked so many years for and in one of the most beautiful Casinos of the world, then will I gladly so for a long time I can, and may – so one must say – this further – do.

ISA-CASINOS: I thank you for the discussion!