CR59-p22-World 3:SJC-Casino Review 19/8/07 11:59 Page 1
casinoreview
Tournament poker is coming to create, expand and The number of mainland Chinese visitors to Macau dropped by 16.5 per
China - where the card game has commercialise China’s first ever cent last month after neighbouring Guangdong province brought in visa
World been gaining popularity since it national poker competition.” The Chinese restrictions in May. The flow of mainland Chinese gamblers into Macau
Poker Tour
was declared a sport five years game, called Tua La Ji in China,
visitors
traditionally falls in May, when there is a week-long national holiday, but
has China
ago. World Poker Tour Enterprises was declared a sport in China in
drop in
in the past few years that decline had been only nine per cent. Overall,
has signed an agreement with 2002. There will be no betting on visitor numbers in June were still up 20 per cent against last year. Never
in its hand
the China Leisure Sports the game in China where the
Macau
officially confirmed by the Chinese, the tougher visa restrictions are
Administrative Center to promote Communist Party has banned all believed to have been imposed over the potential for mainland Chinese
“the sport of poker, by helping to forms of gambling. to work illegally in Macau as well as to curb gambling.
Wynn would
No decision
yet on
partner Aruze for
Taiwan’s
three casino
Japanese project
proposal
With the slightest air of caution blowing through Macau due to
threestate
the recently imposed visa restrictions, the world’s biggest
TAIWAN
operators are already positioning themselves for the next big Despite newspaper
thing. Phil Martin reports on how Las Vegas gaming guru
reports claiming the
Taiwanese government
Steve Wynn found his local partner for Japan some time ago. plans to issue three casino
permits in a bid to help
aruzinginterest legislation that could be their intention of submitting promote tourism, citing a
JAPAN approved within the next 12 plans to operate Japanese proposal by an executive
months. Toru Mihara, an casinos once the government Yuan panel, the Council
The passage of gaming adviser to the Liberal Demo- opens the market. for Economic Planning
enabling legislation has been cratic Party’s casino study Steve Wynn has signalled and Development (CEPD)
slowed somewhat in Japan group, believes that Japan his intent last September said it is still some way
following the recent elec- may have its first casino open saying he would ‘relish the from making a final
tions which saw Japanese by 2012. Wynn Resorts, Las opportunity of doing some- decision on whether to
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Vegas Sands, MGM Mirage, thing in Japan’. allow the establishment of
ruling Liberal Democratic Harrah’s and Australia’s Aruza chairman Kazuo
Steve Wynn’s signature
casinos, as the issue is
Party lose control of the Crown Gaming all are among Okada confirmed: “We want project in Las Vegas still being studied.
country’s upper house, but a hive of companies clamber- to do it with Steve Wynn. An Government Information
the world’s biggest casino ing to convince Japan to international bid is the best Office (GIO) Minister Shieh
specialists still believe warm to casinos. way. I think it’s possible in since meeting in October as the partners increase the Jhy-wey said the
casinos in Japan are more a And, as with any project on Tokyo to create something 2000, at a time when Wynn intensity of their casino cam- administration will not
matter of time rather than a the scale of what Japan would that will draw visitors from was on the look out for new paign a notch or two. allow the establishment of
question of if. demand, blueprints are home and abroad, above and backers. Okada invested Introducing casino gaming legal casinos anywhere in
Despite the political uncer- already being pieced together beyond Las Vegas. They $452.5m in Wynn Resorts, to the Japanese has become the country until a high
tainty, the LDP and its coali- behind closed doors. should be able reach a com- becoming Wynn’s biggest more important for interna- degree consensus is
tion partner still have charge One partnership which has promise on legislation if they shareholder with a 24 per tional operators in light of reached among the public.
of the ultimately stronger already seen the light of day is take a balanced approach,” he cent stake and a Wynn vice the Chinese government lim- Discounting a news
lower house with a two-thirds that between one of the con- added, referring to the gov- chairman for his troubles. iting travel to Macau, the only report that the government
majority meaning it can over temporary industry’s most ernment’s charge of garner- Looking to the future, Chinese region where gam- is planning to grant three
rule the upper house in cases visionary figures, Steve Wynn, ing public support for any Wynn President Ronald bling is legal. Some analysts licenses for casinos to be
of disagreement, all of which and Japanese slot manufac- regulation. Kramer is to visit Japan in Sep- even think that gambling built in the offshore county
means the government is still turer Aruze. The two compa- Wynn and Okada have tember when Aruze will intro- revenue in Japan could one of Penghu and the
reported to be considering nies have already confirmed enjoyed a good relationship duce him to local authorities day equal that of Macau. southern counties of Chiayi
and Pingtung, Shieh said
the government’s plans for
opening casinos are still at
Macau
Christchurch Casino
an embryonic stage.
No decision has been
visa
to pull online plug
made yet either in
relation to the number of
restrictions
permits, locations and
endoftheline confirmed it had done in a the amount of charter
NEW ZEALAND letter to the department in fees, the CEPD said in a
prompting
March 2007. statement made in
New Zealand’s Christchurch He explained: “We reached response to local reports
project
Casino has been given seven the decision and said ‘we will that the government
months to leave the internet be sending a letter’ and then plans to issue three
delays
gambling business after the in the meantime we got advice casino permits in a bid to
Internal Affairs department saying ‘we are selling’”. help promote tourism.
deciding it has breached the Internal Affairs Minister The maximum charter
Gambling Act. Rick Barker said: “Had period has been set at 20
It is hoped that the seven Christchurch Casino chosen years, with operators
month interim period will give to keep the website and required to pay a fee
waitinggame building the $2.5bn City of market and allows the the company time to sell off defend the issue through the equivalent to 40 per cent
MACAU Dreams project on the company to thoroughly its internet interests, namely courts, the process would of their revenue,
Cotai strip, had originally review its development Kiwicasino.com, launched in have definitely taken longer.” according to the proposal.
Operators in Macau are planned to buy the third plans for the Macau 2000, as well as a portfolio of Christchurch Casino ran The stake to be taken
waiting to see how new site by the end of peninsula site,” it said. websites offering online the company through an over- by foreign investors in
visa restrictions affect September this year. The Crown Macau originally bingo and poker. seas subsidiary, Christchurch any such venture will be
trading at existing casinos extension was made to said trading levels would Christchurch Casino was Casino E-Gaming Invest- capped at 60 per cent.
before ploughing ahead give the company more not be affected by the visa told in August 2006 that its ments, using a gaming licence “Installing casinos is
with further billion dollar time to analyse any crackdown, as it was involvement in internet gam- issued by the government of not the ultimate purpose;
investments. negative effects of the aiming at the high-roller bling breached the Gambling Antigua and Barbuda. instead, it is meant to
Melco PBL “recently imposed market. Act, passed in 2003. However, grow the tourism
Entertainment said it had restrictions affecting The PBL/Melco Christchurch spokesman industry,” Council for
extended its agreement to mainland tourists visiting statement comes several Trevor Henry claims Internal Economic Planning and
purchase ground on the Macau under the weeks after Las Vegas Affairs never sent a letter Development
Macau peninsula for a new individual visitor scheme”. casino operator Steve demanding Christchurch Chairwoman Ho Mei-yueh
hotel/casino project until “Such an extension Wynn announced plans to Casino “cease and desist” its revealed
the end of July 2008. provides the company delay the opening of the online activity, but that the The CEPD is due to
The joint venture additional flexibility to extension to his Wynn operators took it upon itself come up with a final
partners, who recently evaluate the uncertain Macau in the light of the in October 2006 to tell the version of the statute
launched the Crown impact of such restrictions visa crackdown by department that it intended governing casino
Macau and are currently on the evolution of the Chinese authorities. to sell the business, which it operations in October.
22 September 2007 worldnews
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