Casino Du Liban Lebanon

I visited Du Liban Casino in autumn of 2016. It seemed to me that Lebanon at that time didn’t experience the best time, there was a war at its neighbors that affected this country as well. Despite the fact that Beirut was a relatively safe place, European tourists didn’t feel quite comfortable here.

There was only one casino in Lebanon for a long time and it seemed to me that it would be something like Monte Carlo, only in the Arab world. I was somewhat mistaken. The casino opened in the 80s of the XX century and has never been renovated since then, as it seemed to me.

The casino was 20 kilometers away from Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, and one could get there only by taxi or by car. I like to walk, especially in new places, and like to search for casinos in the city, just like doing a quest. I had to hire a driver with a car in Lebanon who was waiting for me all the time I was in the casino.

Yes, the casino is located in a picturesque place where the city fits in the urban landscape and touches on the azure smooth surface of the Mediterranean Sea. There are stunning views! But Casino Du Liban seemed grey and unsightly at the background of all this nature. Not at all photogenic, more like a factory or a farm.

Armed soldiers stopped us before we reached the casino and checked my passport and the driver’s one. Several soldiers also stood right at the entrance of the casino. They checked our passports again. Amid the gray building of the casino it already seemed that we found ourselves at a secret facility. I realized the troops guarded the casino from terrorists but the entire atmosphere was quite oppressive due to it. Finally, it turned out that it was not allowed to take photos of Casino Du Liban! Not inside, but outside! I learnt about it from one of the soldiers once I tried to take several photos near him. He demanded that I should delete photos in his presence. I did a trick and did not delete all photos. I wonder if I risked my freedom doing so. 🙂

I managed to take some good photos, including the casino employee who drinks coffee during a break from work.

Inside Casino Du Liban corresponded to its external appearance. Large premises were poorly equipped; there was no gloss and design as such. One feels void there. I’m sure that some time before Casino Du Liban was one of the most interesting places in the Middle East but its best days are far behind. Despite it, Arabs continued to play excitedly and did not notice that it was already the 21 century while their casino remained in the 20 century. I myself did not play in the casino; I only bought a few chips for the collection and went to explore other places of interest of Lebanon.

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