Lucien Wijsman, founder, Slot Summit
Lucien Wijsman began his career in the military and moved into the casino industry before, more recently, setting up the Slot Summit, an educational platform for those involved in slot machine operation.
“If memory serves me well,” he told InterGaming, “it was January 1987 when I first entered a casino through the staff entrance. It was the entrance to the beautiful Holland Casino Scheveningen, which was then located in a landmark building on the Dutch coast.
“I was in my mid-twenties and had visited the same casino before on a couple of occasions as a guest. I found the whole ambience magical and had secretly dreamt to work in this ‘house of glamour’ for a while. The difference to my previous employer, the military, could not be bigger in my perception.
“However, when I started off as a slot attendant in one of the first Jackpot Clubs (slot rooms) of Holland Casino, I came to realise that the difference to the military wasn’t all that big. Rules and procedures had to be followed and the hierarchy was - much to my discontent - very present.
“Other than that, I thoroughly enjoyed working at Holland Casino: the irregularity, having days off when others worked, night shifts, having a drink after work and driving home to go to sleep when ‘normal people’ were on their way to work in the morning rush hour and being able to do sport during the daytime. I was an active squash player in those days and working out on the court during the day combined well with working in the casino at night.
“Clearly, I was lucky to work for Holland Casino during the years the slot machine department was in its infancy and grew rapidly.” This allowed Wijsman to grow with the organisation, from slot attendant to slot shift manager and slot manager.
Read the full article in the October issue of InterGaming.
