G3-247 Report LAOS
01 "Certainly anything to do with gambling here in Laos they keep a pretty low profile and of course it really depends who is involved in the organisation of it and who is going to benefit from it apart from the punters themselves. The industry is generally in ‘good shape,’ especially the electronic gaming parlour near the Lao Thai Friendship Bridge between Vientiane province and Nong Khai province, which has been a major draw for Thai players. The parlour, called St Club, “has no table games, it’s purely electronic gaming machines, slot machines and that’s a significant business. The casino there is noted for its 700 slot machines."
Shaun McCamley, executive consultant and Chief Operating Officer of EPA Management
familiar with the gaming industry in Laos.
Shaun McCamley, an executive consultant and Chief Operating Officer of EPA Management, said that the football lottery was ‘low in profile’ when set against the existing casino and gambling industry.
"Certainly anything to do with gambling here in Laos they keep a pretty low profile and of course it really depends who is involved in the organisation of it and who is going to benefit from it apart from the punters themselves," McCamley told AGBrief.
Lao -based sources said that the new lottery appears to be under the control of senior members of the Communist Party.
The new state football lottery is being launched against a backdrop of a relatively healthy gam- bling industry in the country. Casinos are legal and punters from neighbouring countries where gam- bling is banned are helping to drive revenues.
peting with other options for sports betting that have been running for several years. There have been illegal bookmaking operations in Laos oper- ating out of Vientiane for quite some time and it is these revenues that the government is trying to formalise.
"The government is looking to take some of that illegal money into the formal sector and I see no harm with that whatsoever; a good move by the government," an industry source said who is
Laos has three main casinos located in border areas that draw tourism traffic from neighbouring countries. Last year 3,779,490 million tourists went to Laos, according to the Vientiane Times. About 1.9 million visitors came from Thailand, representing the largest group. This year, the country expects 3.9 million visitors.
Mr. McCamley said the industry is generally in ‘good shape,’ especially the electronic gaming par- lour near the Lao/ Thai Friendship Bridge between Vientiane province and Nong Khai province, which has been a major draw for Thai players. The parlour, called St Club, “has no table games, it’s purely electronic gaming machines, slot machines and that’s a significant business,” he said.
The casino there is noted for its 700 slot machines. "It does extremely well and that's a phenomenal money - making machine," says Silver Heritage's Mr. Shepherd.
The Dansavanh casino, which caters only to for- eign players, is “continuing to work as normal. There's no government issues there with them and the business is continuing to tick along and they have table games,” he said.
The Savan Vegas Casino in Savannakhet in the province bordering the Thai province of Mukdahen to the south, is also an attraction for foreign tourists. "That's a standard casino again with table games," Mr. McCamley added.
The casino has been caught up in a dispute with the government over unpaid taxes, but is still operating as management works through the issues. Senior management at the casino told McCamley they remained confident over resolv- ing their problems.
Lao casinos are largely controlled by Chinese - backed companies, such as the ones located in the tax- free special economic zones in Boten to the far north and King's Roman Casino in the north- west, which have since closed amid allegations of criminal activity, including links with money laundering, murder, fraud, kidnapping, drugs, human trafficking and the sex trade.
Solar Entertainment Corporation has signed a memorandum of
understanding for a new casino resort with Lao authorities. The
agreement covers development projects worth $50m in the
country’s Champassak province.
A Lao Deputy Minister, Somsavat Lengsavad, in September last year was reported saying the country would no longer issue casino concessions in special economic zones. In particular he criti- cized Boten casino’s "contribution" amid reports of the issues of criminal gangs operating there.
However, just this week it was announced that Solar Entertainment Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding for a new casino resort with Lao authorities. The agreement covers development projects worth $50m in the coun- try’s Champassak province. They include the Khonphapheng Resort, a golf club and casino project in Khong district and a survey for a four - star hotel at the Vangtao border checkpoint.
Who knows what other opportunities the govern- ment might consider given the right project offer- ing?
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