The license application deadline for a Hellinikon casino was pushed back due to zoning issues and pending ministerial decisions

Six weeks into the bidding process for a license for the development of a €1 billion casino complex as part of a larger €8 billion integrated resort at the site of the former Ellinikon International Airport, the deadline for submitting license applications has been pushed back, local news outlet The National Herald reports.

The Hellenic Gaming Commission opened the license application process in February. Interested casino operators originally had up until 11 am local time on April 22 to submit their applications with the Greek gambling regulator.

As reported by The National Herald, the deadline has now been extended to May 31, 2019. The news outlet said citing unnamed sources that the deadline extension was due to pending zoning issues at the Ellinikon site.

Ellinikon International Airport was the international airport of Athens for more than six decades before its closure in 2001. The project for its redevelopment into a luxury integrated resort was part of Greece’s privatization program, which the country signed in 2010 under its bailout arrangements.

According to reports, there is an unspecified number of ministerial decisions in relation to the privatization yet to be made. In addition, an environmental impact study is to be debated up until May 14. The National Herald wrote that the ministerial decisions and the environmental impact study could take months before finalized, which could further delay the bidding process for the casino portion of the resort.

Global Gambling Giants Express Interest in the Project

Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International, Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, and Genting Group have been among the gaming groups to have expressed interest in developing and operating a casino resort at the site of the former international airport.

Greek developer Lamda Development has been selected as the preferred developer of what the company has dubbed as the Hellinikon. The whole resort will occupy 2 million square meters of land at the site of the former Ellinikon. Investment in the mega-scheme is expected to top €8 billion. A consortium of UAE and Chinese investors and Greece’s Latsis Group are also taking part in the project.

The winning bidder for the development of a casino complex as part of the larger resort will be granted a 30-year gaming license by the Hellenic Gaming Commission. The regulatory body has said in the call for tenders that was published in the Official Journal of the European Union that the international tender would be “conducted on the basis of the most economically advantageous offer based on the best price-quality ratio.”

As mentioned above, the winning bidder will have to pledge a €1 billion investment and to have experience with operating at least one casino with no fewer than 500 slot machines and no fewer than 100 gaming tables.

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A joint venture of Greek companies was awarded the construction contract for the City of Dreams Mediterranean casino resort

Integrated Casino Resort Cyprus Ltd. (ICR Cyprus) awarded Tuesday the concession for the construction of what would be the Republic of Cyprus’ first integrated casino resort to Avax – Terna J.V., a joint venture between Greek companies GEK Terna and J&P Avax.

ICR Cyprus revealed in a Tuesday statement that according to the principal contract, construction is set to begin early this month and is scheduled to be completed in 2021.

City of Dreams Mediterranean will be the first integrated casino resort on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and Europe’s largest property of this kind. The luxury resort will be built over 37 hectares of land in the western part of the city of Limassol. ICR Cyprus said Tuesday that the property will be constructed to the “highest sustainability standards to adapt to the natural environment.”

The complex will feature a 16-story hotel tower with 500 guest rooms, including multi-bay suites with garden balconies, an expo center, MICE facilities, an “extensive poolscape area” with four outdoor pools, Jacuzzis, and other amenities, an expansive children’s playground, and multiple dining facilities.

The casino portion of the resort will feature more than 100 gaming tables and 1,000 slot machines. The gambling venue will operate under the Cyprus Casinos brand, the local casino operation of Hong Kong-listed gaming and hospitality giant Melco Resorts & Entertainment. Melco and its Cypriot business launched last June a temporary casino near the site where the main resort would be built as well as two of four satellite casinos – one in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, and one at Larnaca International Airport.

Construction Scope

ICR Cyprus said Tuesday that the scope of work in the principal construction contract includes the construction of all resort facilities on the designated 37 hectares of land, including the central podium building which will house the casino floor, world-class dining facilities, convention and conference facilities, luxury retail space, and a spa and wellness center with an indoor pool. The podium will also include the main hotel entrance, staff areas, plant rooms, and operations facilities.

City of Dreams Mediterranean is expected to create 4,000 jobs during construction phase and 2,400 permanent jobs once fully operational. According to early projections the luxury resort will generate €700 million per year for the Cypriot economy after year two of operation, which represents around 4% of the annual GDP of the tiny Mediterranean nation.

Commenting on the award of the construction contract, Melco CEO and Chairman Lawrence Ho said Tuesday that the move “marks the beginning of the construction of City of Dreams Mediterranean and demonstrates [their] ongoing commitment to the project as well as to Cyprus.”

Avax Chairman Christos Joannou said that they are honored to be taking up an important project that “will drastically change the entertainment and tourism industry for both Cyprus and Europe.”

According to recently released data by the Cyprus Gaming and Casino Supervision Commission, the nation’s temporary casino in Limassol and two satellite casinos in Nicosia and Larnaca drew 470,000 customers during their first months of operation. Gamblers wagered more than €210 million and were paid out €175 million, the local regulatory body said. Two more satellite casinos – one in Paphos and one in the Famagusta area, are expected to open doors later this year.

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Vilnius – 2 April 2019 – It has been a hard and stressful period for some of the companies who battled daily by reaching out to their clients base and asking for feedback via votes to help them climb the charts and be included in the shortlist for inaugural Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Awards (BSG Awards).

During March, the industry had the chance to cast their votes online for their favorite operators, software suppliers, and connected service providers and help them reach the Top 5 for their respective categories.

The online voting closed on the 31st of March at midnight and the organizers of MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit are happy to announce that a total of 28641 votes have been submitted during the session and all companies who made the shortlist should feel proud about this achievement.

“With the inaugural Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Awards, which is part of MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit, we have implemented a new voting system that has further increased the transparency of the session. We are happy to say that many companies have expressed their gratitude about the transparency of the awards and we would like to congratulate every company who has made it to the shortlist and even those who haven’t for their commitment to the awards. We now head to Vilnius for the final stage where the attending delegates of the conference will cast their votes to decide the winners of each category, continuing the mission of giving the jury authorship to the industry when it comes to deciding the winners.” commented Zoltán T?ndik, Co-Founder, Co-Owner and Head of Business at European Gaming Media and Events.

The shortlists for each category can be found bellow and as mentioned in the statement, the winners will be decided by the attending delegates via final voting session at the second edition of MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit, which will take place on the 9th of May in Vilnius, Lithuania at Radisson Blu Royal Astorija Hotel.

Register here or View the Agenda!

Here are the shortlists per category and per region:

Baltics – 11 Categories
1/11 – Casino Operators: Best Online Casino in the Baltics 2019
• Bet365
• Optibet
• Maria Casino
• Unibet
• Betsafe
2/11 – Sportsbetting Operators: Best Sports Betting Operator in the Baltics 2019
• Bet365
• Tonybet
• Unibet
• Optibet
• Betsafe
3/11 – B2B Providers (Sports): Best eSports Service Provider in the Baltics 2019
• UltraPlay
• PandaScore
• Sportradar
• Betgenius
• Tain Betting Promotion Ltd
4/11 – B2B Providers (Sports): Best Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports Provider in the Baltics 2019
• EveryMatrix
• BetConstruct
• Golden Race
• Betradar
• Kiron Interactive
5/11 – B2B Providers (Sports): Rising Star in Baltic Sports Betting Technology 2019
• Inplaynet
• SoftGamings
• EveryMatrix
• BetConstruct
• GiG (Gaming Innovation Group)
6/11 – B2B Providers (Sports): Best Sports Betting Innovation in the Baltics 2019
• Inplaynet
• SoftGamings
• EveryMatrix
• BetConstruct
• Golden Race
7/11 – B2B Providers (Sports): Best Sports Betting Provider in the Baltics 2019
• Inplaynet
• SoftGamings
• EveryMatrix
• SBTech
• BetConstruct
8/11 – B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Provider in the Baltics 2019
• SoftGamings
• EveryMatrix
• BetConstruct
• Tom Horn Gaming
• Pragmatic Play
9/11 – B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Innovator in the Baltics 2019
• SoftGamings
• EveryMatrix
• Tom Horn Gaming
• Wazdan
• BetConstruct
10/11 – B2B Providers (Casino): Rising Star in Baltic Online Casino Technology 2019
• SoftGamings
• Tom Horn Gaming
• EveryMatrix
• Pragmatic Play
• BetConstruct
11/11 – Connected Services – Payment Providers: Best Payment Service Provider in the Baltics 2019
• ConnectPay
• MoneyMatrix
• Trustly
• Spliff
• PaySafe

Nordics – 10 Categories
1/10 – Casino Operators: Best Online Casino in the Nordics 2019
• Spela
• 888
• Bet365
• Betsson
• Mr. Green
2/10 – Sportsbetting Operators: Best Sports Betting Operator in the Nordics 2019
• Bet365
• Unibet
• 888
• Betsson
• Betfair
3/10 – B2B Providers (Sports): Best eSports Service Provider in the Nordics 2019
• UltraPlay
• PandaScore
• Sportradar
• Betgenius
• MTG esports
4/10 – B2B Providers (Sports): Best Fantasy Sports / Virtual Sports Provider in the Nordics 2019
• EveryMatrix
• BetConstruct
• Fantasy Sports Interactive (FSI)
• NSoft
• Golden Race

5/10 – B2B Providers (Sports): Rising Star in Nordic Sports Betting Technology 2019
• Inplaynet
• EveryMatrix
• BetConstruct
• Golden Race
• Altenar
6/10 – B2B Providers (Sports): Best Sports Betting Innovation in the Nordics 2019
• Inplaynet
• EveryMatrix
• BetConstruct
• GiG (Gaming Innovation Group)
• Golden Race
7/10 – B2B Providers (Sports): Best Sports Betting Provider in the Nordics 2019
• Inplaynet
• EveryMatrix
• SBTech
• BetConstruct
• Golden Race
8/10 – B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Provider in the Nordics 2019
• NetEnt
• EveryMatrix
• Play’n Go
• BetConstruct
• Wazdan
9/10 – B2B Providers (Casino): Best Online Casino Innovator in the Nordics 2019
• Play’n Go
• EveryMatrix
• BetConstruct
• Wazdan
• Ezugi
10/10 – Connected Services – Payment Providers: Best Payment Service Provider in the Nordics 2019
• Trustly
• MoneyMatrix
• PaySafe
• Hexopay
• Euro Payment Group

You can also find the lists on the following page.

Final Vote: 9 May, 2019

All attending delegates of the MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit will get the chance to vote for their favorites to determine the winners at the inaugural Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Awards.

All shortlisted companies are invited to register and attend the conference!

About the Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Summit & Awards

MARE BALTICUM Gaming Summit, also known as the Baltic and Scandinavian Gaming Summit & Awards offers the opportunity for both new companies and veterans, to learn about industry insights and compliance update, while also being part of a group that is at the forefront of the gambling industry in the Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark, and also from the DACH region.

The Summit will approach all regulatory and compliance related aspects of the mentioned markets and will also highlight some trending topics such as the importance of a good Customer Relationship Management, Outsourcing, use of Big Data and AI, Safe Gambling, AML, KYC and will also include a special future gaming industry related panel discussion, and an exclusive IMGL MasterClass about the Nordics.

Make sure you take advantage of this unique opportunity of learning and networking with the gambling industry in the Baltic and Scandinavian region via the MARE BALTICUM Gaming platform which has been launched in 2018 and is committed to bringing together industry shareholders and government officials from the Baltic and Scandinavian region on a yearly base.

Register here!

Browse the official event website here: www.marebalticumgaming.com 

About the organizer, European Gaming Media and Events

European Gaming Media and Events is a leading media and boutique event organizer company in Europe and produces the prominent conferences in the region such as:

? CEEGC (Central and Eastern European Gaming Conference)
? CEEG Awards (Central and Eastern European Gaming Awards)
? Prague Gaming Summit
? Mare Balticum Gaming Summit
? Baltic and Scandinavia Gaming Awards
? EGC (European Gaming Congress)
? VIGE (Vienna International Gaming Expo)

The live events/conference division is in charge of organizing boutique style executive gaming events that focus on bringing inside information from the top gaming experts in the European Union and beyond.

In short, they cover most areas of Europe with international events that serve the local and global industry, optimize networking opportunities and bring the hottest topics into scope.

The event destinations in 2019 will include a further expansion for the company in their quest to enter the Western European region and bring their expertise to produce local gaming events.

For more details about the calendar, agendas and locations, visit the Live Events/Conferences section on europeangaming.eu

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A Bucharest official has proposed the relocation of all operational gambling halls to a place outside the Romanian capital

Bucharest could relocate its gambling halls to a “neighborhood of gambling” located outside the Romanian capital, if a proposal by a general council survives a vote in the city’s General Council, local news outlet the Romania Insider reports.

According to data quoted by local media, the city is home to about 1,250 gambling and betting halls. General Councilor Catalin Lucian Illiescu has called for the relocation of gambling facilities that operate at the ground floor of apartment buildings outside the city. His proposal also stated that gambling halls should not be permitted at less than 200 meters from schools, churches, and other public institutions.

The official believes that the move could help the city fight problem gambling and gambling addiction issues fueled by the easy access of gamblers to halls. Mr. Illiescu’s proposal needs to be approved by the city’s General Counsel in order to take effect.

News about Bucharest potentially moving to ban gambling halls on its territory emerge amid an ongoing crackdown on gambling in several Balkan states. Last week, Kosovo suspended gambling for a decade after two casino staff were murdered earlier in March. A nearly full ban on gambling came into force in neighboring Albania on January 1, 2019.

Concerns over Gambling Hall Relocation’s Impact

Local news outlet G4media.ro reported citing information from Romania’s National Office for Gambling that Mr. Iliescu project would have quite a negative impact on the nation’s gambling industry. In the first place, the relocation of Bucharest’s gambling halls could significantly reduce the taxes collected by the state. In addition, multiple jobs could be cut as a result from the proposed clampdown.

Meanwhile, Voluntari, a town located not far from the Romanian capital, could too move to ban gaming and betting halls. The town’s Mayor has spearheaded a proposal similar to that of Mr. Iliescu.

Voluntari residents will be able to voice their opinion on the proposed gambling halls ban at a townwide referendum that will take place on May 26. The European Parliament election in Romania will be held on the same day as well as a national justice referendum.

Voluntari’s Mayor Florentin Pandele has told local news outlets that by setting a May 26 date for their local gambling referendum, they did not intent to counter the national justice referendum, and only wanted to cut costs.

Bucharest is the second European capital to have revealed plans to crack down on its gambling halls after a Riga City Council Committee supported last month a plan for a draft decree that would revoke the licenses of more than 200 gambling halls currently operating in the Latvian capital.

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MGM to invest $11 million in the redevelopment of a historic hotel in downtown Springfield into an apartment building

MGM Resorts International told the Massachusetts Gaming Commission Thursday that it has finally selected a housing development project to invest into as part of the terms of its gaming license in the state and its community agreement with the city of Springfield, WAMC reported.

MGM plans to pour $11 million into a $55 million scheme for the redevelopment of a historic hotel building on Court Square in downtown Springfield. The building has been vacant for more than three decades.

Under the terms of its agreement with the host community of its $960 million MGM Springfield casino resort, MGM is required to built at least 54 market-rate apartments in the city. The Las Vegas gaming and hospitality looked for a suitable project to invest into for several years and was granted several deadline extensions from city and state officials.

The latest such extension gave MGM until Thursday, March 28 to either confirm its commitment to the Court Square project or select another housing development plan for downtown Springfield to participate in.

MGM Springfield Vice President and legal counsel Seth Stratton told commissioners Thursday that they conducted a year-long due diligence and that they felt comfortable investing in the Court Square plan and were confident into its success.

The Court Square Scheme

The Court Square or 31 Elm Street project involves the redevelopment and transformation of an old hotel into an apartment building with about 60 apartments that would be offered at market rates and 14 apartments that would be rented at reduced prices to interested tenants whose income is 80% of the median income in the region.

Under its host community agreement with Springfield and the terms of its Massachusetts gaming license, MGM is obligated to build at least 54 market-rate apartments in downtown Springfield.

The 31 Elm Street building was constructed in the early 1890s and has been transformed and repurposed several times throughout the years. It operated as a hotel until the 1950s when it was shuttered. It then reopened as an office building but has then been vacant for more than 30 years. The Springfield Redevelopment Authority has owned the historic building since 2009.

Boston-based developer WinnCompanies is spearheading the project. The company said during a meeting of the Springfield Casino Oversight Committee last month that it had secured 90% of the money needed to finance and complete the project.

State gambling regulators welcomed MGM’s announcement to invest in the redevelopment of the historic building. Commissioner Bruce Stebbins said that the redevelopment of the six-story vacant hotel was an elusive goal for years and that it is still “a little early to blow the trumpets and horns,” even though it seems that the plan has secured the necessary funds.

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