CR65-p01-Euro1:SJC-Casino Review 17/2/08 00:43 Page 1
March 2008 065 www.CasinoReview-Online.com
Novo a-go-go. Red Star ICE ICE Baby.
Novomatic Belgrade. All the latest
joins Grand Belgrade rolls products from
Scala revolution out the carpet the London show
EUROPEANNEWS2 EUROPEANNEWS10 EXHIBITIONREVIEW22
ICE expands global reach
grew, with the non-UK contingent up 1.5 per cent remotely-based. Much of the credit for the
to 7,337 and domestic visitor numbers rising 18.2 attractive powers of the show must go to the
per cent to 5,526. exhibitors who year-on-year continue to surpass
Growth was recorded across several geographi- themselves in the depth and breadth of their
ICEdup buyers from the co-located ATEI (soft gaming cal regions, most notably the Far East/South East innovative displays.”
UNITED KINGDOM expo) visited ICE 2008, boosting the gross atten- Asia whose visitor numbers increased by 18.8 per She added: “We will continue to work in close
dance to 19,932. cent year-on-year from 231 to 284. Middle Eastern partnership with all of our stakeholders,
London’s International Casino Exhibition (ICE) One of the most remarkable statistics from the and North African representation grew by 11.2 per exhibitors and visitors alike, to ensure that 2009
has continued its record of sustained growth for show was the geographical spread: no fewer than cent to 198, with continental Europe and the CIS is better still and we look forward in particular to
the eighth consecutive year as organisers 115 national territories were represented by visi- up 2.4 per cent to 5,663 and Southern & Central the input into the show’s future development by
Clarion Gaming revealed the final attendance at tors, five more than the previous year, with five juris- Africa up 1.5 per cent to 134. the European Casino Association.”
the 2008 show reached an all-time high of dictions - the Marshall Islands, Nicaragua, Rwanda, Attendance levels rose across more than 58 Next year’s ICE/ICEi takes place at the Earls
12,972. The figure, comprising 10,111 unique Tuvalu and US Minor Outlying Islands - all repre- countries with 29 new national records set. Court Exhibition Centre, London, UK on 27-29
ICE-dedicated visitors and a further 2,861 in the sented for the very first time. By including ATEI Karen Cooke, Clarion Gaming’s head of exhi- January 2009.
co-located remote gaming show ICEi, represents cross-overs, visitors on the show floor combined to bitions, said: “ICE and ICEi continue to demon-
an annual growth of 7.9 per cent. represent a global audience of some 127 territories. strate their huge appeal to operators from every
ICE2008Report
Cross-over figures also reveal a further 6,960 International and UK-based visitor levels both jurisdiction in the world, whether land-, cruise- or
Page 20
A leaked letter has all but ended the speculation surrounding the UK’s super casino. In the
face of the government’s continual refusal to make an official comment, Phil Martin
reports on the reaction from opposition ministers and the international casino industry.
Leaked letter
sparks fury over
super-sized fiasco
notsosuper opposition parties, despite parties had concerns about that down. The home team
UNITED KINGDOM their involvement in the the super-casino, but were
won. The operators there in
derailing of the super pro- happy to see the eight small the UK worked the system
British Prime Minister posal, as well as from inter- and large casinos go ahead. very well, so they ended up
Gordon Brown has been national operators. Why did it take such a delay with what they wanted, what
accused of turning the gov- Speaking to the Financial and a further review for the I would consider to be sub-
ernment’s gambling policy Times, Don Foster, Liberal government to concede we optimal, lousy little casinos
into a ‘dog’s breakfast’ fol- Democrat culture were right?” that kept them in the game
lowing confirmation that spokesman, said: “It’s a com- The Tories also slammed and kept us out,” said
ministers will finally scrap plete mess. They’ve dillied, the apparent lack of cohe- Weidner.
plans for the UK’s super- they’ve dallied, they’ve sion. “The government’s flip- Weidner doesn’t believe
British Prime Minister
casino. created all sorts of problems flops on this have left the 12 small and large licenses Gordon Brown
The axe fell on the Las for all sorts of people. And Manchester’s regeneration Continued on page 2 >
Vegas casino sized proposal they’ve ended up with a plans in tatters and the gam-
within days of Brown becom- dog’s breakfast. Gordon bling industry in turmoil,”
ing PM last summer and was Brown was a senior and key Jeremy Hunt, shadow culture
seen as a symbolic shun to figure in a government that secretary, said. “Is the govern-
what had gone before under originally proposed there ment for casinos or against
outgoing Prime Minister should be an unfettered them? No one is left any the
Tony Blair. However, no offi- number of super-casinos, wiser by this news.”
cial comment has been given before proceeding to go Having spent millions of
with government seemingly down to [a maximum of] dollars and man hours plot-
hiding behind reviews to find eight and then one. Where ting entry points and poten-
alternative ways to offer was Gordon Brown when all tial projects, Las Vegas Sands,
regeneration to Manchester. these debates were taking which is spending billions of
Recent reports in the place?” dollars to develop a similar
media have declared that Foster added: “They sort of property in Singa-
letters sent out to Holyrood repeatedly ignored those of pore, pulled no punches in
and the Welsh Assembly indi- us who expressed concern its assessment of the UK.
cated that the biggest of the on this issue, led councils on “We spent a lot of time
casinos created under the a merry dance and have now with the folks there (in
2005 Gambling Act would performed a complete U- Britain), trying to figure out
never be built. The govern- turn. We’re surely entitled to how to do a larger style of
ment will, though, give the know why Gordon Brown gaming,” said William
formal go-ahead to the 16 failed to mention any con- Weidner, COO of Las Vegas
small and large licenses after cerns about the impact these Sands, at the Reuters Travel
parliament returns from half- casinos could have when he and Leisure Summit in Los
term recess. The letter was voting in favour of them Angeles. “That didn’t work.
sparked mass criticism from last year. “Both opposition Mr Brown pretty well shut
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