The Sporting Emporium, a private members club located in Dublin, Ireland opened recently and aims to attract 10,000 members within its first year.

This casino will have some special features : players will be offered unlimited free drinks while gambling and there will be no upper limits on the bets players place against each other.

There are currently 15 private members gambling clubs in Dublin and Sporting Emporium is aiming to take 25% of the market in Dublin.

Chief executive Martin Moore declared that "there is no formal limit but obviously we will have operators who will know if the member is overindulging. Drink is only a small aspect of what´s upstairs, it´s provided there on a complimentary basis".

This original casino will have 14 traditional card and poker tables, eight blackjack tables, six roulette tables, one banco table and one table for pai gow, a Chinese gambling game.

Mr Moore said the club, which will be open to both ordinary players and high rollers, was trying to create a new environment where members could bring in their wives and girlfriends.

About the free drinks offered to the players, Mr Moore said that "It´s not intended that members go in there, sit at the bar all night and fill up. It´s just there to provide a bit of atmosphere I suppose, and we´ll be monitoring that very closely."

Besides, the club, which will stay open from 2pm to 6am, is not restricted from serving alcohol after pub closing times because of its status as a private members club.

Management will be monitoring the size and history of bets to guard against the risk of money laundering.

Author : Marion Brémond