Quote:
Originally Posted by FWWM
To be fair, it should be mentioned that the vast majority of the rake goes directly to tax, casino typically keeps << 50 % (depends on which state in Germany).
According to this vaguely worded essay, this casino pays something like 80% of profits to taxes.
http://www.exberliner.com/features/gamblng-in-berlin/
In a city that is -EV year after year that's a good thing, haha. And the tournament rakes here are not so bad. Still, I'd really like a place to play cash games, but I guess that won't be happening.
Its not like the casinos are very nice either. The food & drinks are absolutely TERRIBLE and overpriced. The seats at the tables are poor (even the dealers' seats look less comfortable than the seats players sit on in Vegas), there is no reward system, and there is an overall depressing atmosphere in all but the largest casino at Potsdamer Platz. Other than for people who deeply enjoy playing poker, I can't imagine the incentive for the average tourist to visit these places. At least in America, you can expect to lose money, but have a great meal and descent coffee/drinks, etc.
I suppose another thing to consider is the fact that the player pool must be hugely recreational, as not a lot of people who are actually paying attention to things like the cost of the rake will want to play here. So there are probably a handful of very very strong regulars beating the rake, and a massive pool of fish on holiday. Seems like the rake would strongly discourage middle-skilled players from becoming regulars.