other words they will tend to be on the “small side” and will hold approximately 100-200 slots and 6-12 table games. We’re not necessarily trying to win tourist trade (not that we’d refuse!) but our primary interest is in developing the casinos within the local community. We are also going to attempt to bring in just a little bit of “Las Vegas” to these places – try and liven them up a little and make them a local attraction – the place to go to have fun. I’m a former nightclub owner and still have some good connections among promoters, and so I should be able to bring in State-side musical acts and entertainers. It all adds to the mix.


Will you have a hands-on approach to managing the casinos yourself? VL Capital Holdings is partnered with Allison


Associates, which are 30-year veterans of developing and managing small casinos around the world. They currently operate or have opened over 30 casinos in 26 countries. I have also been in talks with other organizations, companies and the like which are willing to participate.


Does this mean you could foresee working with other operators in partnership on some of your future projects? I don’t preclude anything. I could easily see


partnerships with other operators where it’s beneficial to everyone involved. Personally, I am not limiting myself strictly to casinos – I can see me involved in a variety of projects later on down the road.


Will the casinos be branded / themed as part of an overall portfolio or will each casino be stand alone? I think they will be branded in-country. For


example, we may call the casinos in Panama the “Thunderbird” chain but the casinos in Costa Rica or Dominican Republic (or wherever numbers three, four, five, etc. will be) may be called “Las Floras” or “Vegas South” or whatever name we choose. I think each chain should be stand-alone within its own region since they will cater to the local markets .


In your experience what are the essentials of a building and maintaining a good boutique casino? A casino needs to have three critically important


factors in order to be a success. They are: 1. Good customer service 2. Good customer service 3. Good customer service Superb customer service will trump almost any


deficiency. If the patron comes to your casino and feels like a king, whether he or she dropped ten


Typical floor plan


dollars or ten thousand dollars, he or she will be back. Of course, having said that, any successful


business must be clean and exciting to visit, and it helps if there is something different or special about it that makes it worth visiting. But the single greatest factor is excellence in customer service. This is a topic where I could go on for hours.


Just because your casinos will be small it does not necessarily mean they will lack technology or the latest slots. What do you envisage in the way of technical innovation in your casinos and do you propose all new equipment? For our first projects, we are not looking at new


equipment. We have to prove ourselves to our investors. However, we are looking at equipment that is practically-brand-new, preferably a year old or less. We are hoping to source equipment that has been first used in a major casino, say in Las Vegas, that has been refurbished to new. Our partners have expert resources in accomplishing this. We are looking at custom-build table games with the gaming equipment imported from America or Europe. And I would want the best security and amenities that we can buy. Our focus first and foremost will be on a clean,


exciting environment. There’s no reason that an American tourist visiting one of our casinos shouldn’t feel as at home as the local patron, and shouldn’t have any less of an experience. As we move forward, of course, we will focus on new equipment and continued excellence in gaming experiences.


casino life magazine 15


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