internationalcasinoreview News EUROPE WEST Bilbao Grand successfully


revolutionaryspin SPAIN


After three years of refurbish- ment and renovation, the old Coliseum Albia has reopened as the new Bilbao Grand Casino.


Whist the restoration of


the façade of this landmark building which was first built in 1916 preserves the his- toric, the emphasis on the gaming floor is for a contem- porary, even futuristic feel with blue and purple back lit walls, trendy grey felt tables and a striking logo used throughout. Mayor Iñaki Azkuna span


the first roulette ball to set the casino into motion during the Christmas holidays. The new venue, which


replaces Nervión Grand Casino, has more than doubled its number of slots which is now up to 75, along with a Mystery Jackpot reset-


blends futuristic with historic A relocation and a conceptual overhaul is looking to breathe new life not just into one of Bilbao’s most historic buildings but also its casino licence.


ting between 54,000 and 80,000 Euros, roulette, black- jack and poker tables. The gaming floor is located on 1,800 square meters of the ground floor along with a bar and a VIP area. Bilbao Grand is also the first casino in the region to offer electronic Texas Hold’em and Black Jack tables for ten people. The relo- cation of the licence and rede- velopment of the Alameda of Urquijo, itself a former cinema, has cost E25m with the aim being to create one of Europe’s most modern casinos lavished with ‘the latest technology’ with TITO and progressive jackpots. Atronic’s Systems Division has provided its Crystal.net


casino floor network as well as the qpon cash cashless gaming solution,


the


Star|Slots slot management system, the Star|Cage com- plete vault, front cage and credit management tool, the Star|Marketing player track- ing module and the Star|Jackpots advanced jackpot management solu- tion.


The venue’s location is also more advantageous.


Casino ‘fundamental to the peninsula of Tróia’


nextbigthing PORTUGAL


Precisely 20 minutes into the first day of 2011, Portu- gal’s latest casino flung open the door to its impres- sive new gaming floor. Housed in the striking, 5-


star Tróia Design Hotel, the E156m casino has been built alongside several restaurants, the Estrathos- pera lounge bar, an enter- tainment centre and a conference centre. Owners Amorim Turismo are aiming for E10m in revenue in 2011 with visitation rates of 1,000 people within three years. Jorge Calado the manag-


ing director of the casino, said that the casino will ‘serve customers staying at the Troy Design Hotel and all around the resort but will always open its doors to all types of customers’. Also expected are ‘gam-


blers from Grand Lisboa, Margem Sur and the Alen- tejo coast’ as well as from


Andalusia. Those attending congresses and confer- ences held in the complex are also included in the target market. Amorim Turismo will pay eight per cent of its GGR to the local council. Carlos Beato, who also chairs the


4 February 2011 • europewestnews


Tourism Region of the Alen- tejo coast, said the opening of the casino was ‘very important for the whole development strategy in the region’ and will be ‘funda- mental to the peninsula of Tróia and may be the next big tourist spot’ in Portugal.


Estoril Sol hits new high with annual jackpots In 2010, Portugal’s Casino Lisboa gave out a record E317, 834, 713 in prize money, the biggest amount since its opening in April 2006. Last year’s total stood at E312,741,000. December saw the casino’s record ever month in terms of prizes with E28m given away. Its daily average was E870,000 Euros in prize money, which reflects the generous return policy on premiums set by operator Estoril Sol.


“Recuperating the build- ing of the Coliseum is very interesting for the town. It is in the centre of Bilbao and in an emblematic place,” said Eduardo Maiz, Councillor for citizen security. “The original façade has


been respected, which is something we insisted on from the outset,” the Mayor explained. Backed by Japanese and Danish investors, the casino


has gambled on giving a new twist to the concept of gaming in the region bring- ing a contemporary, night- club feel as it looks to surpass the 400 visitors a day at the old venue with live jazz on offer during the day. César Valle, the sales manager of the Bilbao Grand


Casino, added. “The whole process of the opening is over which has been very hard but now there is plenty of work ahead.”


Spanish hotelier Sercotel is set to open a four star hotel with 97 rooms in the coming months with a 400 seat signa- ture restaurant.


Barrière finds new business partner in Fimalac


parismatch FRANCE


Accor Group, which has long been the minority partner in Groupe Lucien Barrière, has finally managed to sell its 49 per cent share after a planned public flotation last October failed to attract enough interest.


Accor is to sell its stake for E268m (less than the E282m it hoped for in the IPO) to financial and property invest- ment firm Fimalac and to Groupe Lucien Barrière itself as the latter restructures its capital base. Barrière will pay Accor


E82m for a 15 per cent share- holding, which will then be cancelled. Fimalac will hand over E186m for the rest of the shares, bringing it a final holding in the casino opera- tor of 40 per cent. The 60 per cent majority holding remains in the hands of the Barrière- Desseigne family. The deal must first be approved by the relevant authorities.


Barrière’s CEO Dominique Desseigne said: “I am particularly proud of the road ahead and I would like to thank the group Accor, its leaders and teams, for their support.


I’ve made the


choice of a partner who shares our strategic vision and who has care of protect- ing the identity and values of a family group, created by Lucien Barrière more than 100 years ago.” Fimalac said it was


attracted to Barrière because the company owns most of its luxury hotels under its iconic Barrière and Fouquet’s brands, which


CEO Dominique Desseigne and his family will soon increase their stake in Groupe Lucien Barrière to 60 per cent


chimes with its own top-end property interests, notably at Canary Wharf in London. However, it also has other interests that will now find an outlet. The company said: “Through our interests in Gilbert Coullier Productions and its subsidiary Vega, Fimalac Développement also produces show and operates theatres. This acquisition will allow us to become one of the most important players in this area, as Groupe Lucien Barrière is also very active in show production.” Barrière operates 37


casinos, 15 luxury hotels and 131 restaurants and bars, including the famous Fouquet’s in Paris, and hosts more than 2,700 shows and entertainment events throughout the year. In 2009 it generated a turnover of E1.06bn and employed more than 6,600.


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