NEWS


Resorts World ...Birmingham?


Britain’s second city may not be an obvious destination for the Genting brand, but it’s looking to build there even while closing other UK venues


When three doors close, another one opens. That seems, at least, to be the hope of Britain’s Genting Casinos, which is shuttering a trio of sites while planning a vast new venue near Birmingham. Genting is closing down its Mint venues in Manchester


and Great Yarmouth, as well as the Electric Circus in Leicester. Around 70 staff are affected, although those in Manchester and Leicester may be offered positions at other Genting sites locally. Those two cities are large regional centres; Great


Yarmouth, in contrast, is a down-at-heel seaside resort with what some consider to be an over-supply of gaming venues that its visitor numbers and spend cannot support. The GMB union’s National Casinos Organiser Adrian


Baker said: “These clubs are the latest in a long line of established casinos that have seen their doors close as a result of aggressive competition from across the gaming industry and there is little doubt that that they will not be the last.” Yet that doesn’t, from Genting’s perspective, mean


there’s no life left in the British casino sector. It is one of two contestants for the new large casino licence at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), one of Britain’s main expo venues, located in Solihull near Birmingham. There, Genting is partnering with the venue owner in a


bid to create what it is calling Resorts World @ The NEC, a £120m ($197m) development that would include a four- star hotel, spa, bars, multiplex cinema, and conference facilities as well as a casino. Its only opponent in the bid is the Rank Group’s


Grosvenor Casinos operation, although the local council has the option of not granting a licence at all. With around 1000 jobs likely to be created, however, that seems an improbable decision in Britain’s current employment climate. If Genting wins, its seven-storey facility could be open by


late 2013. Tim Rudman, a spokesperson for the project, said: “Resorts World will be a major driver in the NEC strategy, which is to bring new hospitality, accommodation, food, beverage and retail to the NEC site.”


Not granting a large casino licence for Solihull is improbable in Britain’s employment climate


8 MAY 2011


Nevada “no” to bets in bed


Allowing patrons to gamble from their guest rooms would have been a boon for the likes of Cantor Gaming, but legislators balked


Las Vegas casinos have long tried every tactic in the book to keep customers on the gaming floor long beyond their normal bedtime. And that, it seems, will continue to be necessary after Nevada legislators rejected calls for a change to the rules which would have allowed gaming from hotel bedrooms. The new regime, proposed as part of Assembly Bill 294,


was promoted as a way to help casinos reach a younger market accustomed to receiving services on-demand, electronically, and while still wearing that rumpled T-shirt they were too tired to bother removing last night. If passed, it would have benefited firms such as Cantor


Gaming, already creating a stir on the Strip with its mobile gaming devices which let customers gamble away from the floor (although not in bedrooms), and might also have allowed companies specialising in in-room TV to get into


The majority of uncollected wins from slots will now go to state coffers, potentially reaching $50m annually


the gaming business. “A number one location in which patrons want to use the mobile gaming device is in their guest room,” the judiciary committee of the state assembly heard from Cantor Gaming CEO Lee Amatis. However, the committee rejected the modification. While


agreeing that gaming should be allowed in more parts of the casino premises beyond the floor, they were responding to concerns expressed by gaming control authorities that it would be effectively impossible to police under-age gambling if the green zone for gaming was extended to bedrooms. “A central part of enforcement is walking around, having agents in these locations,” Nevada Gaming Control Board Chairman Mark Lipparelli told the committee. And there was more bad news for Nevada casinos in


another decision of the judiciary committee: the majority of uncollected winnings from slots will now go to state coffers. Under this new rule, which must still be approved by the state assembly as a whole, 75% of uncollected winnings – defined as tickets unredeemed within 30 days – will be scooped up by the state, which could net an estimated $20-50m a year.


PEOPLE


ECOGRA A management buyout at eCogra, the London-headquartered player protection and standards organisation, sees Andrew Beveridge remain in the role of Chief Executive. Chairman is Michael Hirst, while Directors include Bill Henbrey, Bill Galston, Frank Catania and Beveridge.


NEWAVE Tom Bechtel, in charge of operations at NEWave since 2004, becomes Chief Operating Officer at the gaming and hospitality IT firm. Before joining NEWave, he worked in gaming operations at locations including the Palms Casino Resort and Showboat in Las Vegas, and the Empress Casino in Joliet, Illinois.


THE RANK GROUP Peter Johnson is to retire as Non-Executive Chairman of The Rank Group in Britain once a successor has been found. He has held the chair since 2007.


FREMANTLEMEDIA Richard Beach has been named as Gambling Product and Implementation Manager for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) at FremantleMedia Enterprises, the brand licensing specialist. Previously with Cyberview and IGT, and responsible for the launch of online brands such as Rainbow Riches, Monopoly and Cleopatra, he will report to Simon Murphy, the recently-appointed Head of Gambling for EMEA.


CASINO EMPLOYEES ASSOCIATION Steve Hand, a former Craps and Blackjack dealer in the US, has established the Casino Employees Association. The new organisation will, he says, offer benefits including access to cheaper voluntary medical benefits, group discounts, networking events and career development.


LADBROKES Ladbrokes, the British retail betting company, has named Ian Bull as its new Chief Financial Officer. Bull is currently Group Finance Director at pub owner and brewer Greene King.


WYNN RESORTSMarilyn Winn is the new President of Wynn Las Vegas and Encore, replacing Andrew Pascal. She previously managed several Vegas properties for Caesars Entertainment.


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