Revamped Casino Barrière Dinard proud to promote Dinard and the Emerald Coast
After 10 months of work, the Casino Barrière Dinard in the French region of Ille-et-Vilaine was officially inaugurated on July 20, in the presence of Joy Desseigne-Barrière, co-president of the Barrière group, Bruno Toutain, the casino’s general manager, and Arnaud Salmon, the mayor of the Breton town.
Anchored in the heart of the city and overlooking the Écluse beach, the establishment with its Art Deco façade has been completely redesigned to combine elegance, modernity and sustainability.
Barrière said: “Every year, more than 180,000 visitors pass through the doors of the Casino Barrière Dinard. They will now discover Le Grand Bain, a new brasserie designed to live special moments, in a setting facing the sea, as well as a new games room, set up in the former gala room, and large bay windows opening onto the ocean. This new casino is a reflection of Barrière’s ambition. It’s not just about playing, it’s about having a complete experience, somewhere between culinary pleasure, show and entertainment.”
This event, organised simultaneously with the town festival, attracted more than 50,000 participants who, after Cerrone in 2023 and the duo Synapson in 2024, rocked out to DJ Feder’s set on the Écluse beach. A perfect opportunity to take a tour of this iconic Brittany establishment with Bruno Toutain, its director.
Built in 1866, the Dinard Casino was the first gaming establishment built on the Écluse beach. However, its wooden structure quickly proved unsuitable, as the influx of players and the development of the seaside resort boomed in the 1870s and 1880s. A social center during the Belle Époque, it underwent successive renovations before coming under the control of the Barrière group in 1989, which also owns the Grand Hôtel, renovated in 2018. With more than 1,800 m2 of space and 50 employees, the gaming establishment remains the largest casino in Brittany and a pillar of the Emerald Coast’s tourist appeal, notably with its majestic Art Deco façade.
“The work that began on August 29, 2024, in the casino was a combination of heritage and modernity,” Bruno Toutain told the Journal des Casinos.
The renovation cost €8.5m with a monumental chandelier descending into the atrium of the casino entrance and high bay windows, which create a feeling of space and offer a unique view of the sea through the building. Upon arrival, the reception area has been redesigned with more height to meet this desire for openness, all the woodwork on the ground floor has been replaced and, on the sea side, new ground-level bay windows that offer a full view of the Écluse beach have been installed.
“I would like to praise the work carried out by the architect of the buildings of France, who led this work, as well as all the workers and local companies who took turns on the site for their expertise, dedication and involvement,” continued Mr Toutain, who hasworked for the Parisian group for 30 years and has been managing the Breton casino since November 2018.
Following this work, the gaming floor has seen its surface area increase by 300 m2 and now reaches 1,000 m2, after notably removing partitions between the gala room and the machine room. However, the Barrière group has decided not to increase the gaming facilities.
“We wanted to keep our gaming offering unchanged, with 117 slot machines, 21 electronic English roulette stations, seven electronic Blackjack stations, and our four traditional gaming tables, two Blackjack and two English roulette,” confirmed Mr Toutain, keen to prioritise the customer experience of his visitors by offering them an airy space conducive to smoother movement. And clearly, players are adhering to this strategy. “We managed to maintain our gross gaming revenue during the work even though some areas were closed.” And since the reopening on June 21, following the commission’s favorable opinion and the five-year renewal of our gaming license, we have recorded a growth in our activity of around 30 per cent,” he revealed.
The casino’s bar and restaurant, Le Grand Bain, which open onto the sea, have been completely redesigned. Emphasis has been placed on high-quality local cuisine, such as sole meunière-style, monkfish in buckwheat pancakes, and prime rib, and plush furnishings symbolize the upgrade of the offerings. “We’ve gone from 40 to 80 covers,” said Mr Toutain, who explained that access to these spaces remain subject to identity checks. “It’s important to me that guests are both placed in a cozy atmosphere, while participating in their own way in the casino’s ambiance,” he explained, adding that this requirement to present an ID has a reassuring effect on a large portion of the Ille-et-Vilaine establishment’s clientele.
“Everything has been designed around the players’ expectations; it’s the Dinardois casino,” added Mr Toutain. “More than a renovation, this is a new chapter. Beyond the building, we are building value for the region. We are proud to promote Dinard and the Emerald Coast.”
