News INTERNATIONAL UPDATE WestSpiel sells Berlin casino
Germany’s WestSpiel looks to sell its Berlin Casino and reduce its Bremen tax burden
The owners of WestDeutche Spielbanken (WestSpiel),
NRW.BANK, which operates four state-concessioned casinos in North- Rhine Westphalia, Germany: Aachen, Bad Oeynhausen and Dortmund-Hohensyburg (all WestSpiel KG) as well as Duisburg as a separate company (Casino Duisburg), is looking to sell a number of its casinos outside the borders of NRW which have been making losses that have negatively impacted the group.
Outside of North-Rhine Westphalia the casino at the TV tower Berlin, Casino Erfurt, Casino Bremen as well as a slot hall in Bremerhaven belong to the WestSpiel Group. Despite operating Germany’s largest and most successful casino, WestSpiel Duisburg, each of the group’s casinos outside of the state of NRW have underwhelmed in terms of performance (see table).
The latest financial figures from WestSpiel indicate that its casinos in Berlin, Bremen and Erfurt are struggling and the local media is speculating that these locations could be sold. However, contacting WestSpiel directly, G3 has learned that WestSpiel is in the final stages of negotiations to sell its Berlin casino. Gustav Jaenecke GmbH und Co. KG is to due to become the new owner of the TV Tower location. Gustav Jaenecke GmbH is the company currently operating Spielbank Berlin, a casino 94 per cent owned by the Novomatic Group.
In addition to Berlin, WestSpiel revealed that at present it has no plans to sell its casino in Erfurt, at least not until its concession ends in 2014. In Bremen, however, the situation is dependent on local government intervention. WestSpiel is negotiating with the Bremen senate concerning casino taxation. A new casino law that relates to structural changes to casino taxation was passed by the Bremen senate on 12th December 2012. Currently, casino tax is set at 20 per cent of GGR, there’s additional sales tax also applicable to this figure and the casino operator must pay a further 20 per cent fee. However, the change to the law in Bremen gives the finance department the right to lower the casino tax to 11 per cent and further tax payments to 0 per cent. The law also gives the state the right to raise the taxes too. The future of the Bremen casino is determinate on the tax level fixed for the coming year.
February 2013 PAGE 16 State
NRW NRW NRW NRW
Berlin Bremen Location Aachen Visitors
Bad Oeynhausen 87 Hohensyburg Duisburg Berlin
Bremen/ Bremerhaven
Thüringen Erfurt Total
Groß gaming Casino
thousands revenue T¤ tax T¤ 102 326
414 77
103 20
1.129
7.457 8.408 26.341 46.459 6.746 10.137
1.234 106.782
2.814 3.434 12.107 32.026 2.024 4.236
308 56.949
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LA COMPAÑÍA MALAYA HO WAH Genting le ha vendido a Pioneer Hectares su participación del 60 por ciento en Ho Wah Genting Poipet Casino Resorts (Camboya) por 1 ringgit malayo, aproxi- madamente 30 centavos de dólar. El HWG Poipet Casino cesó sus operaciones en 2006 y desde entonces se ha man- tenido inactivo.
LATIN GAMING, CON SEDE EN Panamá, ha accedido a pagar 31 mil- lones de dólares a Casinos Austria International para hacerse con la propiedad del Gran Casino Los Angeles, situado en la provincia de Bio-Bio, al sur de Chile. Tras haber renunciado en abril del año pasado a la propiedad de la licencia incumplida en Ovalle, esta última operación supondrá el abandono definiti- vo de Chile por parte de Casinos Austria International. Por su parte, Latin Gaming se convertirá en el tercer mayor operador dentro del sector de los casinos en Chile, tras Enjoy y Dreams.
EL ESPECIALISTA EN BINGO ZITRO sigue expandiéndose a nivel interna- cional con dos inauguraciones en el Principado de Andorra, un micro-Estado interior situado en la frontera entre España y Francia. Tanto Bingo Cristall, ubi- cado en Escaldes-Engordany, como Bingo Stars, en Andorra la Vella, cuentan ahora con máquinas Bluewave que incorporan The Originals, la categoría de juegos de la empresa. Los juegos elegi- dos son PowerManiaBonus, Fishmania y El Último Bingo en París.
LOS 11 CASINOS DE PORTUGAL siguen en caída libre y han experimenta- do una bajada de ingresos en 2012, con unos ingresos brutos totales derivados del juego de 289,6 millones de euros, lo que supone un pronunciado declive del 11,09 por ciento con respecto a las ya pre- ocupantes cifras de 2011. En los últimos cuatro años, el sector ha visto desapare- cer más de 100 millones de euros en tér- minos de ingresos totales como resultado de la crisis económica y la competencia del juego online.
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AC COIN & SLOT, EL MAYOR desarrollador de máquinas de juego de la Costa Este de Estados Unidos, se ha visto forzado a concluir su actividad. La empresa de propiedad familiar ha infor- mado de la decisión a sus empleados a través de un escrito interno. Thomas McCormick, Vicepresidente Ejecutivo de la compañía, afirmaba en su carta lo sigu- iente: «Como resultado de su situación financiera actual, Atlantic City Coin & Slot Service Company tiene previsto finalizar sus operaciones.»
NRW.BANK, LA SOCIEDAD MATRIZ del operador alemán WestSpiel Gruppe, está a punto de vender su casino de Berlín a Novomatic. Dicho casino se encuentra en el centro urbano, directa- mente dentro de la famosa torre de la televisión, en Alexanderplatz. WestSpiel tiene previsto concentrarse más en los casinos que posee en su propio Land, Renania del Norte-Westfalia. Una nueva licencia de casino le permitirá a WestSpiel operar otro casino en el estado federado con más población de Alemania. Parece que Colonia es la favorita para albergar el casino, seguida por Düsseldorf.
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