News INTERNATIONAL UPDATE Building castles in the sand


Yarmouth council has awarded its large casino licence tender to current Pleasure Beach owners


The seaside town of Great Yarmouth has named its future ‘large’ casino operator as Pleasure and Leisure Property Corporation (PLPC), the owners of Great Yarmouth Pleasure Beach.


The £30m project, selected by the borough council from a competition which saw just two local businessmen go head to head, will be developed on land south of the pleasure beach on South Beach Parade.


It will form an integral part of a new leisure and entertainment complex called The Edge, which will include restaurants, bars, a bowling alley, an eight-screen Odeon cinema, six-storey budget hotel and a multi-storey car park.


The Edge has already been granted planning permission, with building work expected to start in October and take two years. Albert Jones, chairman of PLPC,


Genting Singapore profits fall in Q1


Genting Singapore posted a 33 per cent fall in first quarter net last month. Genting, the Singapore unit of Malaysia's Genting Bhd, said it earned S$205.5m ($163.9m) in the January-March period, down from S$305.4 million a year earlier due to lower gaming revenues. Higher depreciation with the opening of new attractions in Genting's theme park in Singapore, as well as new hotels and a museum, also hit earnings. Genting Singapore countered saying it is looking for new projects to expand its business. "We took advantage of the favourable financial markets conditions and leveraged our brand name and management track record to raise S$2.3bn ($1.83bn) through the issue of perpetual subordinated capital securities," Chief Operating Officer Tan Hee Teck said. "The funds we raised will provide us with the firepower to identify and pursue new projects and grow our company." Mr. Tan also said two new junket operators will also help attract high-rollers to the casino.


“It was a


straightforward, unanimous


decision. It was reached fairly. It’s


good for the town and if you look at the government


criteria for casinos,


the first priority was that it must be


beneficial to the town. It will be


open all year round so employment will be improved. They will also use local suppliers so it will boost employment


and that is what we need in Great Yarmouth.”


License Committee Chairman


said he was ‘absolutely delighted’ with the decision and added he has plans to build another four star hotel on site.


“Pleasure and Leisure Corporation are delighted to have won the casino licence after more than 10 years of hard work. We hope that this will be the start of major investment in Great Yarmouth, create hundreds of full and part-time jobs and boost the local economy. If all goes to plan work should start on site before the end of the year.”


In a statement the council said the company's proposal would be of ‘greatest benefit to the borough.’ Despite the initial focus on super casinos in seaside towns as with Blackpool when the super casino was first mooted, Pleasure and Leisure won out against just one other bidder, Patrick Duffy of Palatial Leisure, who owns the existing Palace bingo and casino.


Caesars 20 year extension for Conrad Punta Del Est


The Uruguayan government has agreed to extend Caesars Entertainment’s gaming license in the country, allowing it to continue to operate the casino at Conrad Punta Del Este Resort and Casino in Punta del Este, Uruguay, through to 2036. The original license was set to expire in 2016.


Jorge Serna, Vice President and General Manager of Conrad Punta Del Este Resort and Casino, commented: “We are very pleased that the Uruguayan government has extended our gaming license, allowing us to continue operating the largest private casino in Latin America. We look forward to continuing to


June 2012 PAGE 26


GAMING LABORATORIES International received a large and enthusiastic crowd of regulators and dignitaries from across the Spanish gaming industry to celebrate the grand opening of its newest lab in Barcelona in May. GLI President/CEO James Maida welcomed the crowd, and joining him were GLI Interactive Managing Director Phillip Barow and GLI España Technical Manager David Jimenez, who each delivered remarks to officially open GLI Test Labs España (GLI España).


“We are absolutely thrilled to have welcomed such a large and enthusiastic crowd to the grand opening of GLI España. We are confident that an independent test lab of GLI’s calibre will be beneficial to the growing Spanish gaming marketplace, both terrestrial and iGaming,” Mr. Barow said. GLI España is located at the SC Trade Center, Trade III, Avda. Corts Catalanes, 9- 11 ofic.1D pl.2 08173 Sant Cugat del Vallès Barcelona, Spain.


THE WAMPANOAG TRIBE OF GAY HEAD (Aquinnah), whose Wampanoag trust lands are located in the southwest portion of Martha’s Vineyard Island, is making strides in its pursuit to develop two casinos - one destination resort in Southeastern Massachusetts and a Class II gaming facility on the Island. For the mainland resort casino, the Aquinnah Wampanoag Gaming Corporation has teamed up with KMD Consulting of California. KMD is the company behind many Las Vegas and California deals involving the MGM Grand, Planet Hollywood, Bellagio and more. The company is currently partnering with the Menominee Tribe to develop a casino in Wisconsin.


provide a first-class experience to our guests.” Since opening in January 1997, the Conrad has been a significant contributor to the economic growth and development of Uruguay by attracting many international visitors and hosting large-scale international conventions. The resort today employs more than 2,000 people, making it one of the largest private employers in Uruguay.


LIVE GAMES PROGRESSIVE SYSTEMS provider, DEK International, has continued its growth in the Republic of Panama. Majestic Casino, part of the Cirsa Group, has installed the first fully automated G3 progressive system at their Texas Hold’em tables. The latest G3 system with their enhanced prizes and multiple promotions aim to increase customer interest to the game while providing improved security to the casino operators. One of the major benefits of the new G3 system is to be able to monitor dealer’s productivity in real time.


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