Photo by: Globus Exclusive archive

Diamond Palace & Crystal Palace

A new concept of luxurious casinos in Croatia

With or Without De Niro?

“Hey, is this De Niro?” the first guy asked.
“Oh, come on, De Niro who, you mean, like, the De Niro, Robert De Niro, the actor?” the second guy fired back at him.
They found it incredible that they were one of those few lucky people who got the chance to see Robert De Niro in person, in a place that perfectly matches his movie roles – a casino. But then again, they were in an excellent casino, one of the best they had visited so far, so it would not be that strange to see one of the movie greats having fun unburdened by the outcome of the game, placing bets on black or red. They looked around the place: the casino was magnificent, with thick carpets, crystal chandeliers; luxury appropriate for the surroundings where one could hear that characteristic sound of chips rattling and croupier’s unassuming voice. The atmosphere was fantastic. There was no doubt that even De Niro would feel comfortable there. That only served to increase their belief that the man they were focusing on was precisely – De Niro himself! The two observed the man who was wearing a baseball cap really low. In fact, it was lowered more than it was usual, obviously with the intention of hiding his face as much as possible.
The two of them had no choice but to get closer to the charismatic man, a meter or two away from him, and they noticed that a couple of other visitors were eyeing him subtly, trying to determine if it was really the man they thought him to be.
They decided to approach him from the other side; however, suddenly, as if he felt too much interest surrounding him, in one skillful movement, the man took his chips and left. Movie fast, convincingly, impressively. Clearly in need of anonymity, the mysterious visitor disappeared, but they had a whole night of having fun in the casino ahead of them.
“Who would have thought we could experience something like this in Zagreb?” the first guy said.
“You’re right, let’s have fun, with or without De Niro!” the second one concluded.

A New Casino Concept in Croatia – Diamond Palace and Crystal Palace

Their conversation took place in a casino, but it wasn’t the one from the eponymous movie hit, where Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone played their roles masterfully, but in Zagreb’s casino Diamond Palace. A couple of months have passed since these two Italians on a business trip in Zagreb decided to have some fun. With their accommodation in one of Zagreb’s best hotels, they spent a part of their evening and night in Diamond Palace casino, on a hotel employee’s recommendation. And once they got there… they thought, in fact, they were convinced they had seen De Niro! And they did not find it strange in the least because the casino was perfectly furnished and the service was superb…
Full of great impressions, they left the casino before the dawn, replaying scenes from the previous night in their head – was it the Robert De Niro, who starred in Casino, a movie brimming with gamble, sex and violence, embodying a dangerous guy, the chief of a casino who is forced to make difficult decisions in a whirlwind of personal relations, conflicts and interests.
But that is a thing of the past, the stories like the one in Casino can happen only in movies.