Poker Fighting for Survival in Austria EMEA
Der Gouverneur des mexikanischen Bundesstaates Baja California, Jaime Bonilla Valdez, hat Maßnahmen gegen illegales Glücksspiel angekündigt. Nach Angaben des Gou- verneurs hat sich das illegale Glücksspiel in der Region zu einer „sicherheitsgefährdenden Epidemie“ entwickelt.
Die von Sun International vorgeschlagene Fusion des chilenischen Casinounternehmens Sun Dreams mit dem Vermögen von Marina del Sol wurde auf Eis gelegt, da sich die Unternehmen nicht auf eine Absichtserklärung einigen konnten.
Nach Angaben der Aufsichtsbehörde für Glücksspiel (JCJ) wurden in Panama zwischen Jan- uar und August insgesamt 1.425 Mio. US-Dollar umgesetzt – eine Differenz von 45.000 US-Dollar gegenüber dem Vorjahreszeitraum. Die Zahlen für die ersten acht Monate des Jahres (ohne die Verkäufe für die staatliche Lotterie) spiegelten einen Rückgang von 3,1 Prozent wider.
Der uruguayanische Präsident Tabaré Vázquez hat eine Resolution zur Bestätigung der Realisier- barkeit eines neuen Casinos in Punta del Este unterzeichnet. Das neue Casino hatte bereits posi- tive Berichte von Beamten des Ministeriums für Wirtschaft, Finanzen und Tourismus erhalten.
Der brasilianische Tourismusminister Marcelo Álvaro António hat sich in Macau mit Lawrence Ho Yau Lung und Larry Ng, CEOs der Melco Resorts & Entertainment Group, getroffen, um das Potenzial des brasilianischen Tourismus vorzustellen.
Österreichs Pokerclubs kämpfen angesichts der am 1. Januar 2020 auslaufenden Übergangsregelung für private Pokercasinos für ihre Zukunft. Von diesem Datum an könnte Poker danach legal nur noch in den Casinos Austria gespielt werden kann.
Das Lynx Casino Florina wurde Anfang November in Florina eröffnet, einer Präfektur in Nordwestgriechenland, die an Nordmazedonien und Südostalbanien grenzt. Es wird erwartet, dass es mit Casinos und Spielhallen im Norden des griechischen Grenzhafens Idomeni im Bezirk Gevgelija konkurrieren wird.
Laut der Ratingagentur Fitch können die drei US-amerikanischen Casinolizenznehmer in Macau im Jahr 2022 mit „gleichen Wettbewerbsbedin- gungen“ für den Neuzulassungsprozess rechnen. Laut Fitch wird die Herangehensweise des neuen Vorstandsvorsitzenden Ho lat Seng für Sands China, MGM China und Wynn Macau pragmatisch sein, das Unternehmen glaubt aber auch, dass noch die Möglichkeit der Zulassung eines siebten Lizenznehmers besteht.
Genting hat nach einer mehrere Millionen Pfund schweren Renovierung seines bisherigen Standorts Genting Cromwell Mint in London jetzt das Forty Five Kensington eröffnet. Die Umfirmierung in Forty Five Kensington erfolgte im Zuge der Umgestaltung der gesamten Anlage.
Austria’s poker clubs are to fight for their future with transitional regulation for private poker casinos set to expire on January 1, 2020
Te Austrian Constitutional Court is currently hearing a complaint from Concord Card Casinos, and the European Court of Justice is hearing an entreaty
AUSTRIA CASINO OPERATIONS
Austria’s poker clubs are to fight for their future with transitional regulation for private poker casinos set to expire on January 1, 2020 meaning that from that date, poker can only be legally played in Casinos Austria’s properties.
Peter Zanoni, owner of Concord Card Casinos, which recently celebrated 26 years of operation, confirmed at a press conference that he would battle to keep his 12 poker properties open, claiming that the gambling monopoly in the Austrian gambling law violates EU laws.
At the press conference, held on November 11, Dr. Tomas Klicka, an expert on civil procedural law at the Universities of Vienna and Münster explained that as far back as 1994, the European Court of Justice had ruled that gambling falls under the commercial law which requires a freedom of service and trade.
Dr. Andreas Schuster, an expert on gambling law, said that, in his opinion, the state has a double standard and is incompatible with existing EU law. It is a violation of the principle of equality. Te Austrian High Courts have violated their duty of referral to the European Court of Justice, which therefore cannot take a decision because individuals and companies
cannot approach the European Court of Justice themselves. Te Austrian gambling law initially did not consider poker as a game of chance. Tis changed with a law change in 2013 that stipulates that poker from 2020 may only be played in licensed casinos, but not in private poker rooms.
Mr. Zanoni highlighted that Concord employs 600 people with 40,000 visits per month, generating 65,000 overnight stays in Austria every year. He stressed his desire to keep his poker casinos open over the next year and said he had appointments booked with delegates to the Austrian Parliament over the coming weeks.
Te Austrian Constitutional Court is currently hearing a complaint from Concord Card Casinos, and the European Court of Justice is also being charged with the matter.
Niklas Sattler, Poker Manager at Casinos Austria, confirmed that the casino group would embark on a poker offensive next year. A new four table Poker Lounge opened at the Casino Austria venue in Vienna at the beginning of October. Austrian poker pros like Jessuca Teusl and Erich Kollmann as well as the German poker star Feder Holz were there.
Greece Lynx Casino Florina opens near Greek border
Te Lynx Casino Florina opened early in November in Florina, a northwest Greece prefecture, which borders North Macedonia and southeast Albani. It is expected to rival casinos and slot halls located north of the Greek border port of Idomeni, in the Gevgelija district. Te operating consortium has invested €9m with a luxury hotel due to open alongside the casino in the future.
Te casino has opened with 103 slots, from EGT, IGT, Novomatic and Merkur along with six roulette tables, six black jack tables and two poker tables. Employing a total of about 170 people, the venue will offer live music events, gourmet events with guest chefs, themed nights, live racing broadcasts and live sports broadcasts.
Te hotel will open in the former Xenia hotel, as part of a state-of-
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the-art mountain resort with a backdrop of lush forests and mountains. It will offer 40 rooms & suites and will become the region's only five-star resort.
Te history of Florina’s casino is a long and protracted one. Te hotel was inaugurated in 1960 and in 1975 was bought by the current owners, who continued to operate it until the late 1990s. In 1994, a casino was licensed inside Xenia and whilst the Florina Consortium completed the construction of the casino in 1997, the final authorisation wasn't approved by successive ministers and the gaming floor remained unopened.
Te Florina Casino consortium attempted to get final authorisation for the casino between 1995 to 2001, but failed and eventually the Greek Council of State ruled in favour of a €24m compensation claim.
Georgia
Te first channel of Georgian Public Service Broadcasting (GPB) has decided to stop broadcasting gambling ads on television from January 2020. It said: "In line with our mission, the Channel's initial goal is to meet the needs of society, to support the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, and, based on our own ability, to face the grave suffering of gambling addiction in the country." Tere are currently 92 active gambling companies in Georgia, generating GGR of €4.2bn last year, more than double the previous year. According to the National Statistics Office of Georgia, revenue in the gambling industry has increased by 14- times since 2013. It is believed to have taken the stance following the supposed suicide of a 29-year- old man was found dead in a forest on October 29.
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