The Grasshopper in Amsterdam Does Not Want Americans
Each year, hundreds of chirpy online gambling professionals descend upon Amsterdam to participate in the Casino Affiliate Convention. Gambling911.com of course recognizes that few if anyone will remember anything that was discussed at the conference itself. The event is more of a networking function where friends can gather and do things they might not normally do at home such as smoke canibus and have sex with women on display behind red lit windows.
For years, the gathering point of these professionals has always been The Grasshopper. It's a giant three story complex that was supposed to host a final day networking party for CAC. That won't be the case now.
"The Grasshopper is under new management and when CAC approached them about having a few hundred people gather for a private function they told us ‘We don't do business with Americans'," said Marc Lesnick, organizer of the Casino Affiliate Convention. "We will just need to find another location to spend a few thousand dollars he said."
That is pretty ironic considering The Grasshopper is the first building you encounter when entering Amsterdam from Central Station. It is generally packed with tourists.
Amsterdam must not be hurting too bad from recent economic woes that an establishment such as this would turn down the type of business CAC looked to deliver.
"I certainly will not be going into that place," said Boston resident and representative for CasinoCity.com, Rebecca Liggero. "Not that I ever would go in there to begin with since I don't do any of that party stuff like drink, smoke pot or have sex with strangers whose names I don't even ask for especially in places where I can let my inhibitions go free and no family members are around to read about it in the newspaper the next day. Plus I'm a Catholic girl. So I don't know what the Grasshopper is. I might have passed it once, twice, a few times, maybe even stumbled into the joint accidentally."
Lesnick said he believes Americans like Liggero can still be served drinks at the bar if they should happen to accidently stumble in.
"It's just for group functions," he said. "The management doesn't want to do business with Americans. The bartenders we are sure will want the business."
But do you really want to risk it?
Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher
