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FOUR BCN WORLD LICENCES PROGRESS
The BCN World project in Barcelona is progressing to the second phase with four applicants selected for the next stage Spain - New licences
BCN World is one step closer to the Costa Daurada. The Government has admitted four of the five applications to participate in the leisure and gam- ing macrocomplex in the Turístic Recreatiu Centre (CRT), between Salou and Vila-seca.
UK - ASPERS LAUNCHES NEW ASPIRE LOYALTY CARD Aspers Casinos has launched a revolutionary new loyalty scheme that will see customers rewarded with instantly transferable ‘freeplay’ balances for the first time ever in the United Kingdom.
Thanks to innovative new technology, which is exclusive to Aspers and developed in partnership with International Gaming, all four of the group’s casinos are now able to offer customers instant point of play rewards, rather than having to rely on the traditional two-staged points to voucher based systems offered by other UK casinos.
Every time a customer plays on Aspers’ slot machines and electronic roulette machines using an Aspire Xtra card, Freeplay Xtra will automatically be earned and added to the customer’s balance. Once a minimum £5 rewards balance has been reached, the customer can instantly chose to add this to their gaming credit through advanced technology within the machines.
What’s more, there is no limit to the amount customers can earn with the Aspire Xtra card with the opportunity to cash out anything from £5 to £50.
UK – CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT UK’S NEW CFO Caesars Entertainment UK, one of the most established and innovative operators in the casino industry, appoints Alex Oswald as its new Chief Financial Officer.
Formerly Group Head of Planning and Analysis at Caesars Entertainment UK before joining the Aspers group as Head of Business Intelligence in 2013, Oswald has strong experience of the gaming industry.
Mr. Oswald says: “Caesars Entertainment enjoys a unique position in the UK casino market. We have the scale and authenticity that our Las Vegas credentials give us yet we’re able to offer a ‘tailor-made’ service and environment in each of our venues. This enables us to offer the best gaming experience in the market. There is also a real commitment from the top to innovate and grow, I can’t think of a more thrilling place to be in the gaming world and I’m excited by the prospect of driving the business forward.”
Mike Rothwell, Caesars Entertainment UK CEO says: “Caesars Entertainment has always been a market leader, driving innovation and change to the casino and gaming world. I am focused on building the best team around me so that we can continue to deliver the very best experience for the discerning gamer.”
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Proposals submitted by companies Grup Peralada and Melco (both solo bids), and cooperations between Veremonte-Hard Rock and Melco- Veremonte, have advanced to the second round of the competition; and, if no last minute changes occur, the best tenders will move forward with four resorts, two short of the initial forecast.
The fifth proposal, wholly owned by Veremonte, has been dismissed: “for failure to demonstrate technical competence or five years experience in operating casinos,” according to the Department of Finance. World BCN sources emphasise that this was a proposal made by the company Caesars Entertainment, but the Government insists that the bid only appears individually from the appli- cant Veremonte.
The choice of companies has been borne by the Tècnica Comissió Casino, which was responsible for analysing the documentation in accordance with the rules of the competition, along with objective criteria to check whether applicants meet the requirements to participate in the auc- tion. This is the verification of the technical com- petence and experience in the management of
casinos over the past five years; and it also checks whether the inverstors have enough financial backing to meet a minimum initial investment of €300m for each authorisation and for hotels, commercial and recreational activities that com- plements the individual projects.
They officials also found that none of the partici- pants has a criminal record or penalties for non- compliance in the prevention of money launder- ing, in addition to requiring that they meet their current tax obligations for the presentation of cer- tificates and declarations.
The next step will be the second phase. It will start once the resolution is published with the final list of those admitted. This qualification will focus on the evaluation of the projects submitted. But this step will be subject to planning conditions. The stage ends, as provided by law, with the award of up to four casino licenses, one for each of the applications that have been submitted.
Legislative change has been one of the main requirements imposed by the main promoter of mega resort, Veremonte to maintain its invest- ment in the Costa Daurada. Among other things, the amendment that this project hinged upon, was that the law should provide tax inventives for casinos at 10 per cent of GGR, a fact that has gen- erated controversy in the gaming industry, in poli- tics and in wider social circles.
Croatia Finance Ministry appoint NMi to perform games testing
CROATIA NMi is proud to announce its accreditation by the Ministry of Finance to perform online and land- based games testing in the Republic of Croatia. As part of a continuous commitment to gain coverage in all regulated gaming markets across the world, NMi has been leveraging a long histo- ry of working with regulators and customers in the Balkans to expand services as needs present themselves. The Croatian approval follows the recent appointment of NMi by the Bulgarian State Gambling Commission (SGC) as one of their few approved labs.
Speaking after his recent contri- bution to the 7th Expert Convention in Serbia organised by JAKTA, Julian Borg-Barthet, Business Development Manager
for the NMi Gaming Division said "The Balkans are an important area for NMi, working with our customers, consultants, and gov- ernment contacts to extend our reach in these key markets is why our customers align them- selves with NMi to begin with"
NMi is an accredited gaming lab- oratory with almost 40 years serving the gaming industry in Europe, offering global service to their customers from labs situat- ed across the world.
Cyprus Despite speculation to the contrary, Buena Vista Hospitality Group has insisted that its interests in refurbishing Nicosia’s Ledra Palace hotel do not amount to turning it into a casino. The company, which is planning a massive health resort in Kalavasos, said its preliminary proposals concern a joint venture with the Church, the majority shareholder, for the refurbishment of the hotel and operating it under Buena Vista’s management. Local media reports had claimed that BVHG was intent on creating a casino at the site, but in reponse the Group said none of the hundreds of projects funded by the company include the operation of a casino.
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