Montréal – Working in close collaboration with management at its establishments, the Société des casinos du Québec (SCQ) is finalizing preparations at the province's three Casinos to be able to offer poker enthusiasts Texas Hold'em slot machines as of this coming Friday, January 18. The machines are actually an electronic version of the popular Texas Hold’em game.

The Casino de Montréal, Casino du Lac-Leamy and Casino de Charlevoix will be offering 25, 13 and 5 electronic poker units respectively, each featuring 10 playing positions. Poker players will enjoy new installations featuring the highest standards of comfort, efficiency and guaranteed integrity to be found within the industry in North America. Developed and created by Québec designers, the new poker slot machine installations at the three gaming houses represent a total investment of nearly $5 million.

“This diversification of our game offerings responds to the significant demand of our clientele,” underlines Mr. Claude Poisson, SCQ President of Operations. “We are delighted to be able to offer the growing community of poker enthusiasts these high quality installations that have been designed to meet existing competition on the North American front.”

The electronic poker equipment installed at the three Casinos was manufactured by PokerTek, an international supplier of electronic poker products. The units delivered to the SCQ have successfully undergone testing by the Québec Ministry of Public Security's Laboratory of Forensic Sciences and Forensic Pathology.

Meanwhile, the SCQ intends to continue to offer Texas Hold'em poker with croupiers at its establishments. Discussions are ongoing in that regard with the unions representing croupiers at the three gaming houses.

The electronic poker equipment will be accessible during the same hours as the other games offered at the Casinos, and their price structure will be comparable to similar establishments across the continent.