internationalcasinoreview News ASIA & OCEANIA
As it looks to expand both in India and abroad, Delta Corp is hoping a leading gaming light will come onboard. The operator, which dominates the offshore casino sector in Goa, is looking to expand into Sri Lanka.
Resorts World dealer sentenced to two years Resorts Worlds Sentosa has seen a croupier and his two accomplices handed jail sentences after following their S$100,000 chip stealing con. The dealer Kent Oh Zhi Xiang would overpay his accomplices an extra $100 chip every time they changed their $500 or $1,000 chips into smaller amounts. Father and son team Lim Chee Leng and Lim Eng Chin carried out the scam over 1,000 times during a four months period at the Singapore casino before the dealer was caught on CCTV. The dealer was sentenced to two years in jail with the others receiving 21 months each.
Melco hopeful of Macao Studio City
casino
studioinput CHINA
Goa operator looking for foreign investment
expansiveplans INDIA
ment’s foreign investment promo- tion board approval. In three years, the number of off-
shore casinos in Goa has increased from one to seven and the number of casinos in five-star hotels, known as onshore casinos, from 10 to 17. The operator recently bought a 51 per cent stake in the Daman Hos- pitality Private limited (DHPL) that owns the resort property at Daman and which is managed by Thunder- bird Resorts. Delta chairman Jaydev Mody
Goa offshore casino operator, Delta Corp, is looking to sell a share of its business and is reported to be in talks with some leading interna- tional operators including MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, as it strives to get a strategic investor on board. Delta has hired Citigroup and UBS to analyse possible invest- ment routes, which it said are at a ‘very preliminary’ stage. The Indian government does not permit direct foreign investment in its casinos but Delta, which owns three of the six gaming licences issued by the Goa government, said it was the only Indian gaming company to have the govern-
said: “The year 2010-2011 has been a remarkable year for the gaming industry in general, and the company in particular. As India con- tinues to surge ahead, it is also cre- ating more millionaires and billionaires than ever before. This new affluent class has both the power and the will to spend on gaming. This is on an upward curve. In addition, the fact that gaming destinations also double as popular holiday spots, they create a holistic combination of tourism and gaming experience. As far as Goa and Daman are concerned, we are confident that India is on the brink of exponential growth in gaming and tourism.” Goa, Damam and Sikkim are the only three regions in India where
gaming is allowed by the govern- ment. Delta has been reliably build- ing on its existing gaming infrastructure and capacities in Goa. Of the total gaming licences issued in Goa, Delta, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates three of the six offshore gaming licences, giving itself a dominant leadership position. Currently, with two operational
offshore casinos in Goa, Delta offers a total of 670 gaming positions in Goa. In year 2012, the company will commence operations of ‘Kings’ Casino on the MV Horseshoe vessel. This vessel has been acquired for an all in cost of Rs. 600m. When opera- tional, it will have between 1,000 to1,500 gaming positions with 100 - 150 tables and around 250 slot machines. This will give Delta a total capacity of between 1,500 to 2,000 gaming positions, making it amongst the largest by any operator in Goa.
In Daman, gaming is allowed to be
established within hospitality, which means that hotels can have in-house casinos and gaming lounges. The company will have 800 to1,000 gaming positions in Casino ‘Jackpot’ which is spread over approximately 60,000 sq. ft. of gaming space at Thunderbird Resorts.
Delta has also acquired a sub- stantial stake in Marvel Resorts to build a five star hotel in Goa. When completed, Marvel Resorts will have approximately 300 luxury rooms with around 20,000 sq.ft. of gaming space. Mody added: “We also have inter- national aspirations and are actively considering Sri Lanka as the next destination. The Sri Lankan govern- ment is dynamically developing the tourism industry and its sector. Due to this focused effort by the govern- ment, Sri Lanka has witnessed a sig- nificant increase in the number of tourist arrivals post civil war. We are in an advanced stage of signing an MOU for land in Sri Lanka which will be spread over 4 acres with around 500 hotel rooms compro- mising of gaming and entertain- ment area and all other world class amenities. It is expected to be oper- ational by 2014-2015.” Delta is on an aggressive expan- sion path and is expected to invest over US$300m in the next few years to sustain its dominant position. “We are emerging as India’s biggest gaming company with interna- tional ambitions. We are at a point of inflection. The next five years are very exciting and promising,” Mody concluded.
Two year old illegal casino closed in Seoul
seoulless SOUTH KOREA
South Korean police have swooped on an illegal casino in the capital of Seoul, arresting 16 people in a rented apartment in the Gangnam district. It is believed the casino had been in operation
since December 2009 and had attracted VIP gamblers from Macau with the promise of easy credit. Two of the suspects
allegedly assaulted a man at a Seoul golf range and set fire to his car over an unpaid debt of KRW150m (US$135,000). “When they received
16 October 2011 • asia&oceanianews
the gambling money in Macao, they apparently used a secret bank account and we are investigating that,” the police said. South Korea has 17 legal casinos but only one of these, Kangwon Land, allows Korean nationals to play. All the other
properties in Korea, comprising three in Seoul, two in Busan, eight in Jeju and one in Incheon, Daegu and Sokcho, ban access to locals.
Last month, South
Korean operator Grand Korea Leisure and minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Choung Byoung-
gug both publicised their views that laws preventing Koreans from gambling should be abolished. Kim Do-gon, PR director
at GKL, said: “It would deter illegal business such as online gambling, and ensure that casinos move within the confines of the system.”
Macau operator Melco Crown Entertainment remains hopeful that it will be able to bring a casino to the group’s Macao Studio City in Cotai despite politicians saying there is no way it will happen. Melco bought 60 per cent of Macao Studio City in June and had planned to develop a casino with up to 400 tables and 1,200 slots there. Melco is in discussions with local authorities to bring a gaming floor to the project with chief executive and co- chairman Lawrence Ho Yau Lung saying he was ‘confi- dent’ of reaching agreement. “Before we even under- took investing in the Macao Studio City project, we had dialogue and communication with various levels of the Macau Government and they have been very supportive throughout the way,” Ho said on a conference call to investors. “We have com- plete trust in the government making this project a reality. And in order to make it a reality, of course, we would need the necessary gaming tables to make the project financially viable for us.” Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Lau Si Io, said however, that the project’s development plans define its use as being for hotels and a film production project, adding that casino would not be permitted. Hong Kong-based analyst
Jefferies & Co said in a client note: “Without a casino at Macao Studio City, the invest- ment should be worthless.” Lung said he was hopeful that construction would start next year with the property opening in 2015 at a cost of US$1.7bn.
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