US gambling revenue dropped  15% in May. In Las Vegas, the percentage is 16.4%. As for Atlantic City, the casinos gambling revenue down 11% in June, comparing with the same month of the last year (a single casino shows an increase in revenue, Harrah’s Resort Casino). In Illinois, gambling revenue was down more than 20 percent in June compared to June 2007.

The analyst Robin Farley of UBS wrote in a report that “the decline in Strip revenues is worse than the period immediately following Sept. 11, 2001 and except for January 2002 is the worst monthly performance in more than 10 years…The weakness in gaming revenues was not confined exclusively to the Strip as the Las Vegas locals market declined 19.5% in May, bringing year to date revenues down 8.7%.”

Sands, Wynn, Boyd… everything is sliding.

“The decline appears to be accelerating,” said Nick Danna, an analyst with Stern Agee & Leach.

Jim Murren, president of MGM Mirage, says that this drop is a temporarily situation, an usual cycle.

For Atlantic City, the most important decline is for Trump Marina Casino, 23%.

For the casino games, the reports say that table games and slot machines fell down almost the same in Las Vegas, but slots declined more in Atlantic City.

I am not a specialist, but I think that there are some important factors, external to the gambling industry, that influence it. And one of the most important, if not the most important, is the economic crisis. Including the petrol price, unemployment, the real estate crisis, as well as the reduction in flights as airlines cut back their services.

A second factor is the tourist market, influenced also by the economic crisis but not only. The restrictions implemented last years by US for the external tourists is, maybe, more important for the tourist market than the crisis.

And, to not forget the smoking ban, that will decrease even more the gambling revenue.

The crisis in US gambling industry will be increased by the casino and hotel investments started by the operators, for which it will not be possible to make the payments to the banks (for ex., Tropicana Entertainment defaulting on $2.7bn debts).

In fact, when you start an isolationist policy, including for the online gambling market, you have to take into consideration the secondary effects that can become major effects, in time.

$4.5 billion Canadian investment in casino-resort project (“Ho Tram“) in the South of the Vietnam, the theme highlighting the lush natural beauty of the area while showcasing Vietnamese and Asian culture.

The most important investors in this project are Asian Coast Development Ltd. from Toronto and Harbinger Capital LLC from New York

The Ho Tram Strip is being designed by Steelman Partners and spread across 19 hectares of prime real estate on a beach in Xuyen Moc Commune, in Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu Province, near Ho Chi Minh City.

The first stage of the project (2008-2011) will include two luxurious five star hotels with 2300 rooms and a Las Vegas-style casinos – featuring live entertainment stages and an exclusive VIP area to compliment gaming floors with more than 180 live table games and 2000 electronic games. As recreational facilities, an expansive and luxurious spa, state-of-the-art performance facilities, an engaging upscale retail experience and a wide selection of elegant dining facilities offering local and international cuisine.

It is the most important investment in Vietnam, including, in the first stage, a 2,300 rooms hotel and a casino with 900 gambling tables, 500 slot machines, and a VIP area.

Finally, in 2015, the resort will comprise five hotels with 9,000 rooms and a second casino.

The site plan includes several theatres and museums, a cultural center, and an ongoing parade of events, a championship 200-acre golf course designed by Greg Norman, a country club, and and a site for guests to swim with dolphins.

Vietnam (Vietnamese: Việt Nam), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Vietnamese: Cộng hòa Xã hội Chủ nghĩa Việt Nam), is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea to the east. With a population of over 85 million, Vietnam is the 13th most populous country in the world.

Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the coast of the country’s southeastern region. It also includes the Côn Đảo islands, located some distance off Vietnam’s southeastern coast. From 1954 to 1975, this province belonged to the Republic of Vietnam.

Airbus is in discussion with more clients interested to use the world’s biggest passenger plane, Airbus superjumbo A380, into a flying casino.

David Velupillai, marketing director for Airbus’s executive and private aviation division, said a fully-fitted casino could be delivered as early as 2012.

The gambling “is clearly a growing business in Asia and what this interest reflects is what is happening in Macau and Singapore. The idea of a flying casino has been mentioned before but it’s now looking a lot more concrete,” said the head of Airbus’ Executive and Private Aviation Division, Francois Chazelle.

The most important destination for the future casinos will be Asia, especially Macau.

Las Vegas Sands Corp., a hotel, gaming, and resort development company headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada and owning The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, the Sands Expo and Convention Center, and Venetian Macao Limited, a developer of multiple casino hotel resort properties in The People’s Republic of China’s Special Administrative Region of Macao, hopes to launch VIP charter flights between Hong Kong and Las Vegas featuring baccarat tables in Lockheed Martin planes, in accordance with a South China Morning Post

My predictions about the boom of the gambling industry in Russia come true sooner than I expected. Russia’s Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov set up a gambling zone, Azov-City, in the Scherbinovsky district of Krasnodar area and the Azov district of Rostov region. A budget of about 18 billion rubles for tourism and recreation facilities in the South Federal District from 2008 through 2012.

In accordance with Kommersant, the gambling area will cover 20.022 million sq meters, including a portion of the Krasnodar area and the Rostov region in southern Russia.

There will be four gambling zones in Russia by July 1, 2009: the Kaliningrad region, the Altai Republic, the Primorie area and to the territory on the border of the Rostov region and the Krasnodar area.

“We offered the name of Port-Katon but after discussion with the Krasnodar Territory the name of Azov-City has been agreed. We hope it will remain after the government issues a decree on the order of creation of the special gambling zone on the border of the Rostov Region and the Krasnodar Territory” – the Rostov Region economics minister Mr. Victor Deryabkin said.

“The Internal Affairs and Regional development ministries have already given the conclusions. The Economic development and Legal affairs ministries conclusions are left” – the minister stressed.

“By the end of January 2008 they will prepare requirements specification for architectural-planning works and by Summer next year ground areas will be probably given to develop certain objects of the future gambling zone ” – the Rostov Region economics ministry said.

Azov (Russian: Азо́в, IPA: [a'zof]) is a town in Rostov Oblast, Russia, situated on the Don River just sixteen kilometers from the Sea of Azov, which derives its name from the town.

Unfortunately, another prediction come true at the beginning of this year: we will have a bad, if not very bad, year for online gambling. It seems that Russia will ban online gambling, too.

It seems that it is very hard to make predictions on gambling, this year even more difficult than the other years, and online gambling much more difficult than the classical gambling.

008 will be a very good year for the land casinos. Las Vegas has some big problems that will allow to other entertainment centers to compete successfully with the Sin City.

After several years of standby, Atlantic City will know in 2008 a new development period by building new casinos and improving the old ones.

But Macau will be the star of this year, with the most new projects for casinos, hotels and entertainment resorts. Cotai Strip will be the new center of the gambling world.

The Europeans will have their own Las Vegas too, soon. Gran Scala in Spain is a very ambitious project. This year we will see if it is a certitude for the next years, or just a chimera.

And, to not forget Russia! Russia made no major step till now, but it is very close to invest a lot of money. And, what about the Arabian gambling? Do you bet on the development of a very powerful casino entertainment center in Dubai? The partnership with MGM Mirage is just the beginning. I know about the Islamic rules, but I bet on it.

For me, a big surprise for this year is Harrah’s Entertainment. No big new projects and, at the end of the last year, the bomb (in fact, expected since a year ago): new owners for the casino and hotel resort chain of the world’s largest provider of branded casino entertainment. The surprise is even bigger taking into consideration the successful act of online gambling ban (see UIGEA). So, my prediction is that MGM Mirage will become soon #1 in the casino entertainment industry.

As for online gambling, very bad news, unfortunately. After UIGEA in US, Canada intends to ban the online gambling too, Germany already announced the interdiction for online gambling as well as for advertising the web/based gambling. There are signs that Italy will be soon with Germany on the same part of the barricade and, from the East European countries, Romania has a draft law to ban online gambling and any other related activity since two years ago, so it is possible to discuss it very soon. In this situation, and after the agreement with US, the European Commission it is possible to change its rules about online gambling even this year. I see UK the only country of the European Union that will allow the online gambling in the near future.

It is very interesting how United States, after deciding to ban the online gambling, and by means of the media, it is very close to change the mentality and principles of the whole world about online gambling. Most of the people considered online gambling a way of entertainment as any other, two years ago. Now, the same people are very convicted that they always was against online gambling and online casinos.

A special situation for online poker. If the online poker associations from US will earn the battle to allow this game on Internet (and it is a very powerful lobby for this), all the other countries, including Germany and Canada, will say that they never banned the online poker and will make an exception from the rules. But this will not happen, anyway, this year.

But we will see a spectacular increase of the skill games.

In fact, in the United States the future of the online gambling will be decided during and after the elections stated for this year, 2008. So, when you will vote, take into consideration your own option for online gambling, too.

(These predictions are based on my own experience, do not include any other considerations, I do not claim to be in accordance with the future events, I am not implied in the gambling industry except as a publisher, and I do not advice you to use it)

MGM Grand Macau officially opened its doors these days to thousands of guests eager to experience the burgeoning gaming destination’s latest grand resort. With 600 rooms, MGM Grand Macau resort casino marks the powerful partnership’s first venture into the rapidly growing Macau gaming market, setting a new standard of luxury in Asia.

“We have long anticipated this moment,” said Terry Lanni, Chairman and CEO of MGM Mirage. “It marks the beginning of a new era, both for our company and for the Macau gaming market. We’ve been eager to demonstrate the combined capabilities of our partnership and this striking resort is testament to what we can achieve together. We are confident our efforts brought satisfaction to our many guests who celebrated with us tonight and will continue to do so for the many who visit Macau in the future. We look forward to showcasing to the world what we have created.”

Pansy Ho Chiu-king, Managing Director of MGM Grand Paradise, added, “Through our partnership, MGM Mirage and I wish to bring about a brand new experience for tourists in Macau. The pleasurable experience of our guests will encourage repeated visits and a positive word-of-mouth reputation for both MGM Grand Macau and Macau.”

MGM Grand Macau features suites and villas; a grand casino offering approximately 375 table games, 900 slot machines and 16 private gaming salons for preferred customers; and the signature Grande Praca showcasing Portuguese-inspired architecture, dramatic landscapes and a glass ceiling rising 25 meters (82 feet) above the floor of the resort.

The 35-story resort also includes convertible convention space, world- class spa and swimming pool facilities, and a variety of restaurants that continue in the MGM Grand tradition of culinary talents celebrating the diversity of international tastes and influences. These unique elements, combined with the high-quality service provided by its 6,000 employees will define this new resort.  Initial plans calls for a 222,000 square foot split-level casino, with 385 table games and 1,000 slot machines. The property will also include a 1500-seat theater, a 5500-square foot nightclub, 13,500 square feet of meeting and convention space including an 11,000 square foot ballroom, a 25,000-square-foot spa, and nine restaurants, including one on the roof with views of the city and the harbour.

MGM Grand Paradise Limited is a join venture owned and jointly operated by MGM Mirage (the world’s No.2 casino operator) and Ms. Pansy Ho Chiu-king. It was formed to develop, build and operate resort casinos in Macau S.A.R under a sub-concession agreement approved by the Macau government. The total cost of the project is budgeted at USD $1.27 billion.

Wynn Macau resort will add 85 gaming tables and 551 slot machines in an expansion scheduled to open Monday

The expansion, which also features a new rotunda entrance, brings the casino resort’s total to 390 tables and 1,190 slot machines.

This casino will also be connected to the future Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which is expected to open close to the Nape waterfront district in 2009 as Macau’s second Mandarin Oriental property.

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group (MOHG) is a hotel management company which is part of Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited and is formally known as Mandarin Oriental International Limited.

Another casino will be opened in 2008 by Four Seasons Hotels, Inc., a five-star Canadian-based international luxury hotel chain. It is considered among the finest luxury hotel chains worldwide, according to Travel + Leisure magazine and Zagat Survey, and operates 55 AAA  five diamond properties in major cities and resort destinations in 18 countries. It is also the particular hotel of choice for many celebrities and members of royal families.

In 2009 will be opened Grand Hyatt operated by Global Hyatt Corporation. Hyatt is a part of the Marmon Group which is owned by Chicago’s Pritzker Family. Grand Hyatt hotels have higher standards and are generally larger than typical Regency hotels.

Virgin Group is in the latter stage of negotiation to secure land in Macau, where he is going to set up a US$3 billion casino resort complex.. Virgin Group Ltd is a conglomeration of separately run companies that each use the Virgin brand of British celebrity business tycoon Sir Richard Branson.

About Macau:

澳門特別行政區
Região Administrativa Especial de Macau
Macau Special Administrative Region

• Official languages: Chinese, Portuguese
• Government Chief Executive: Edmund Ho Hau-wah
• Establishment:
  • Occupied by Portugal 1557
  • Portuguese colony August 13, 1862
  • Transfer of sovereignty December 20, 1999
• Area: Total 28.6 km²
• Population 2007 (1st qtr) estimate: 520,400 (167th)
• Density: 17,310/km² (2nd)
• GDP (PPP): 2006 estimate
  • Total US$14.3 billion (139th)
  • Per capita: US$28,436 (2006)
• Currency: Macanese pataca (MOP)
• Time zone: MST (UTC+8)
• Internet TLD: .mo
• Calling code: +853

The Macau Special Administrative Region, commonly known as Macau or Macao (Chinese: 澳門), was established on December 20, 1999, as one of the two special administrative regions (SARs) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the other being Hong Kong. Macau has thriving industries such as textiles, electronics and toys, as well as a notable tourist industry, which boasts a wide range of hotels, resorts, stadiums, restaurants and casinos.

The headquarters of Macau Government

The Sino-Portuguese Joint Declaration and the Basic Law of Macau stipulate that Macau operates with a high degree of autonomy until at least 2049, fifty years after the transfer, under the policy of “one country, two systems”. The Central People’s Government is responsible for the territory’s defence and foreign affairs, while Macau maintains its own legal system, police force, monetary system, customs policy, immigration policy, and delegates to international organisations and events.

The Legislative Assembly of Macau

Macau’s economy is based largely on tourism, much of it geared toward gambling. From 9.1 million visitors in 2000, arrivals to Macau has grown to 18.7 million visitors in 2005, 21.98 million visitors in 2006 and is expected to receive between 24 and 25 million visitors in 2007, with over 50% of the arrivals coming from mainland China. Macau also received the Future Award 2007, for being regarded the most promising future tourism destination in Asia Macau is currently rated as one of the world’s top tourism destinations by the World Tourism Organisation.

Macau center

Since 1850, gambling has been licensed and has always been an important source of earning for the government. In the early 1960s, gambling provided 50 percent of official revenue. Starting in 1962, the gambling industry had been operated under a government-issued monopoly license by Stanley Ho’s Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau. The monopoly was ended in 2002, and several casino owners from Las Vegas attempted to enter the market. With the opening of the Sands Macau, the largest casino in the world as measured by total number of table games, in 2004 and Wynn Macau in 2006, gambling revenues from Macau’s casinos were for the first time greater than those of Las Vegas Strip (each about $6 billion), making Macau the highest-volume gambling centre in the world.

In 2007, The Venetian Macau, the second largest building in the world, opened its doors to the public. Other casinos and hotels slated to be opened through 2009 are: Four Seasons (2008), MGM Grand Macau (2007), Ponte 16 (2007), Far East Consortium Complex (2007), Grand Hyatt (2009), Galaxy Cotai Megaresort (2008), City of Dreams (2008), Oceanus (2008), Mandarin Oriental (2009). The first Phase of Macau’s Cotai Strip is scheduled to open in 2007 and will include 19,000 guest rooms throughout seven resort hotels, with the $1.8 billion Venetian Macao serving as the anchor. The head of Virgin Group Sir Richard Branson is in the latter stage of negotiation to secure land in Macau, where he is going to set up a US$3 billion casino resort complex. As a result, Macau’s economy is growing rapidly due to gambling related tourism and construction from the new casino entrants. Macau is still the only place in the People’s Republic of China where casinos are legal.

Gondola ride in the Venetian

Cotai Strip

The Cotai Strip is the name of the casino and tourism district of Cotai, Macau. The development of this area was inspired by the Las Vegas Strip in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

Here it is a list of casinos and hotels by Macau Concessionaire:

Las Vegas Sands

• 7 resort hotels
• 20,000 hotel rooms
• Over 1.5 mm sq ft of casino space
• Over 3.0 mm sq ft of MICE space
• 25,000 seats for live entertainment
• 3.0 mm sq ft of retail space
• Over 4.0 mm sq ft of vacation suites

• Site 1 = The Venetian Macao
• Site 2 = Four Seasons Hotel Macau
• Site 3 = Far East Consortium
• Site 4 = City of Dreams (see Melco-PBL below)
• Site 5 = Shangri-La and Traders
• Site 6 = Sheraton and St. Regis
• Site 7 = Hilton and Conrad
• Site 8 = Fairmont and Raffles

Melco-PBL

• City of Dreams
• Macau Studio City (Melco-PBL will not own this but will manage the casino) (Hotels on the site include The Ritz-Carlton Macau, Macao Marriott Studio City, and W Macau – Studio City)

Galaxy entertainment

• Grand Waldo Hotel
• Cotai Mega Resort (aka GalaxyWorld Resort)

MGM Grand Paradise

• Nothing official announced yet but has stated that they plan to build a casino on Cotai

Wynn Resorts

• Owns land on Cotai and has stated that they plan to build one casino resort that will be “the most beautiful hotel on earth”.^[5]

Harrah’s Entertainment

• Owns the Macau Orient Golf Course on Cotai, adjacent to the Lotus Bridge and across from Macao Studio City. Has not announced any plans other than to operate it as a golf course for time being.

Macau gaming law

In the Macau legal system, gaming law is not considered as a branch of law in the traditional sense. Instead, it may be considered as a transversal gathering of a range of legal topics more or less directly related to gaming, including constitutional law, administrative law, tax law, company law, contract law and criminal law. In this manner, issues of public law as well as private law are of relevance for gaming.

In the Macau SAR, the regulation of gaming is premised on administrative law concepts which are similar to other civil law jurisdictions. From the perspective of administrative law, gaming is based on the concept of administrative concessions (and sub-concessions), supervision of concessionaires, and powers of government intervention. Gaming law in Macau is currently being reformed. Immediately after the transfer of sovereignty the Government of the Macau SAR has embarked in a major overhaul of the gaming sector, by opening the sector to various operators so as to generate competition. This has meant the granting of various concessions and subconcessions to operators other than the historical operator.

As a result, there are currently six concessions and subconcessions of casino games of fortune: Sociedade de Jogos de Macau (known as SJM; headed by Stanley Ho); [Galaxy Casino] (a subsidiary of Galaxy Entertainment Group, from Hong Kong); Wynn Resorts (of Steve Wynn); Venetian Macau (Sheldon Adelson); a partnership of MGM with Pansy Ho (daughter of Stanley Ho); and a partnership of Melco and PBL of Australia. There are also monopoly concessions for pari-mutuels (horse and dog racing), lotteries and sports betting.

Each of these operators has signed a concession contract with the Macau SAR; the text of such contracts can be seen in the website of the Macau Gaming Inspection (see links below).

Concessions allow the opening of more than one casino.

Regarding gaming promoters, from an administrative law perspective the prime issue is their licensing and regulation, which was initiated in 2002. Gaming promoters are subject to a licensing system rather than to a system of concessions. The main applicable law is Administrative Regulation no. 6/2002. Lists of gaming promoters currently authorized are available in the website of the Macau Gaming Inspection (see links below).

From the perspective of company law, gaming concessionaires must be public companies, to which special rules apply, in addition to the general rules stated in the Macau Commercial Code 1999, as amended. There are also specific company law rules related to gaming promoters.

The taxation of casino sub/concessionaires is made of a fixed part and a variable part. The variable part falls on the gross gaming revenue. The tax rate is currently of 35%, plus two contributions of up to 2% and 3% for social and economic purposes. The maximum tax is therefore 40%. In addition, a fixed premium is also payable, plus a premium per VIP table, other table, and slot machine. Gaming promoters pay taxes on commissions received.

From the perspective of contract law, gaming and betting are contracts which may or may not generate civil or natural obligations for the parties. The matter is regulated in the Civil Code 1999 (art. 1171), which states, drawing from Roman law, that gaming and betting generate natural obligations except in sports competititions and where the law provides otherwise. The problem is that gaming legislation currently does not provide to this effect.

Regarding credit for gaming, Macau law states since 2004 that the granting of credit for casino games of fortune generates civil obligations, which are fully enforceable in Macau courts. Credit for casino games of fortune is defined as any case where chips are passed on to a player without immediate cash payment of such chips; this is an intentionally broad concept. Credit for gaming is regulated by Law no. 5/2004, of June 14.

From the perspective of criminal law, there are specific criminal offences related to gaming; see Law 8/96/M, of July 22, and Law 9/96/M, of July 22. Other criminal law matters are covered by broader laws: the Penal Code and the law on organized crime. Game cheating is mentioned in art. 6 of Law 8/96/M, of July 22. In addition, general laws on the prevention and repression of money laundering and the financing of terrorism through casinos apply.

Competition law matters, and advertising law, as well as the impact of WTO law on gaming, may also be pointed out as part of gaming law. Regarding online gaming, the Macau SAR does not currently grant concessions for online casinos. The current casino concessions only cover land-based gaming, not online gaming.

(Some images and texts adapted from Wikipedia)

Gambling is far from stopping its development all over the world. Asia, Europe, Middle East, Russia, USA, places where the gambling industry is one of the most profitable business.

After four years when it was built the last casino in Atlantic City (Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa), now it is its turn for some of the most important projects in US in the entertainment industry.

Morgan Stanley has purchased 20 acres directly north of the Showboat Hotel and Casino and plans to build another $1 billion-plus resort casino.Revel Entertainment has been named as developer and has announced that it has begun pre-development and design work

Revel Entertainment Group, LLC announced that it has secured a CAFRA (Coastal Area Facility Review Act) Permit for its beachfront casino entertainment resort on twenty acres of land along the Atlantic City boardwalk.

The CAFRA permit includes approvals for Revel’s planned facility which will include two hotel towers with approximately 1,900 rooms each, 150,000 square feet of casino space and 500,000 square feet of dining, retail and entertainment space including a 5,500 seat theater, an expansive health club and spa, meeting space and a one acre private beach. The Company is in the process of determining whether both hotel towers will be completed in the first phase of construction. Earlier this month Revel received preliminary site plan approval from the City of Atlantic City Planning Board including approvals for certain onsite circulation and other infrastructure improvements in connection with the project.

Commenting on the approval, Kevin DeSanctis, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Revel Entertainment, said, “Over the last year Revel has made significant progress in advancing its plan to develop a unique resort entertainment casino project. We look forward to continuing our work with local and state authorities and gaming regulators as we commence footing and foundation work shortly to deliver new entertainment experiences for consumers when we open in 2010.”

The twenty acre Revel Entertainment development site is one of the largest, most uniform and contiguous properties in Atlantic City and is located at the northern end of the Boardwalk bordered by Oriental, New Jersey and Metropolitan avenues. The site features over 1,000 feet of beach frontage. (See the Press Release)

Revel is partnering with investment firm Morgan Stanley on the project.

Other casinos will be built by Pinnacle Entertainment on the site of the former Sands Hotel Casino, opening in late 2011 or early 2012.

On October 18, 2007, Pinnacle Entertainment imploded the legendary Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City following a dramatic fireworks display. It was the first casino implosion in Atlantic City history and New Jersey’s largest rooftop fireworks display ever. In less than eight seconds, the spectacular implosion brought the 21-story building crashing down into a 33,000-ton pile of concrete and rubble. The implosion paves the way for the development of Pinnacle’s multi-billion-dollar gaming resort.

On November 17th, 2006, Pinnacle Entertainment completed the purchase of the Sands Hotel & Casino and Traymore Hotel sites in the famed Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Together, the land being acquired comprises approximately 18 contiguous acres at the heart of Atlantic City, with extensive frontage along the Boardwalk. We plan to design and build an entirely new casino hotel on the site, which would be among the largest and most spectacular resorts in the region.

“Atlantic City is one of the top U.S. gaming destinations, and we’re looking forward to being a part of the world-famous Boardwalk,” said Daniel R. Lee, Pinnacle’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “This major new resort will be a key component in our plan to build a national network of gaming properties. It will also help extend our development pipeline and our Company’s growth through 2010 and beyond. In connection with our longstanding interest in Atlantic City, we submitted our initial license application in New Jersey several months ago.” (See Press Release)

MGM Mirage planned a $5-billion casino resort in the marina district next to the Borgata, the largest project Atlantic City has ever seen, nicknamed City Center East.

MGM MIRAGE (NYSE: MGM), one of the world’s leading and most respected hotel and gaming companies, owns and operates 17 properties located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has investments in three other properties in Michigan and Macau S.A.R. CityCenter is a multi-billion dollar mixed-use urban development in the heart of the Las Vegas Strip; a new MGM Grand hotel and casino complex is being built in downtown Detroit; and the Company has a 50% interest in gaming and has implemented the American Gaming Association’s Code of Conduct for Responsible Gaming at its properties. MGM MIRAGE also has been the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for its industry-leading Diversity Initiative and it community philanthropy programs.

The project, which is expected to be completed in 2012, will contain up to 3,000 rooms and will have the largest casino floor in the state. Once its built, I think that it will draw big foot traffic both from locals in the New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania area, and from gamblers throughout the nation. The same thing happened when Borgata opened its doors in 2003. In fact, that property is still one of the biggest draws in Atlantic City even though it’s off the boardwalk and a bit of a hike from the other major casinos.MGM is a partner in the Borgata with Boyd Gaming.

A possible fourth new casino to be built on land near the Atlantic City Hilton Casino Resort by Curtis Bashaw, the former Casino Reinvestment chairman, and Wally Barr, the former chief executive officer of Caesar’s Entertainment, is also on the drawing board. A company headed by Wallace Barr and Curtis Bashaw recently purchased land south of the Atlantic City Hilton, owned by its parent Colony Capital. The tract includes the site of the former Atlantic City High School and the planned but failed Dunes casino. Only the former Dunes site is currently zoned for casino space.

The Atlantic City Hilton is planning a $1 billion (USD) expansion of its physical plant, including a parking garage, 1000-room tower and doubling its casino floor space.

Planet Hollywood has put some interest in bringing a casino/resort to Atlantic City.

The parent company of Tropicana Casino and Resort, Columbia Sussex, is seeking a partner to develop a boutique casino and/or condominium complex on a square city block of boardwalk property north of the Ritz Carlton Condominium Building.

The new casinos will join an already-expanding skyline: The Borgata, Trump Taj Mahal Casino resort, and Harrah’s Atlantic City are all building second hotel towers.

About Atlantic City:

Atlantic City is a city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, USA. Famous for its boardwalk and casino gambling, it is a resort community located on Absecon Island on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. As of the United States 2000 Census, population was 40,517 in the city, and 271,015 in the combined metropolitan area. Other municipalities on the island are Ventnor City, Margate City, and Longport. The main routes into Atlantic City are the Black Horse Pike (US 322/40), White Horse Pike (US 30) and the Atlantic City Expressway.

Ocean Pier, the world’s first oceanside amusement pier, was built in Atlantic City in 1882. Other famous piers included the Steel Pier, now used as an amusement pier (opened 1898) and the Million Dollar Pier (opened 1906), now the site of a shopping mall. (The oldest cast-iron pier in the world was built at Gravesend, Kent, England, in 1814.)

Casino resorts:

¹ Claridge Tower and the Wild West Casino are considered part of Bally’s.

On November 16, 2006, Hal Handel, CEO of Greenwood Racing, announced that the Atlantic City Race Course would increase live racing dates from four days per year, to up to 20 days per year. www.saveacrc.com has been actively involved in expanding racing at the Atlantic City Race Course and created the movement to bring full time racing back to ACRC in 2005.

(from Wikipedia)

Gran Scala is a €17 billion entertainment city to be built on 2,025 hectares in the Aragón desert and will include 32 casinos, hotels and five theme parks. This location was chosen because of a possible 25 million catchment market (excluding foreign tourists) and its proximity to Zaragoza Airport, an important hub in the low cost air network. Zaragoza is also one of NASA’s Shuttle Tactical Abort Landing Sites (STAL).

The project was initiated by a British-based consortium, International Leisure Development, whose major shareholders include Aristocrat Technologies, UFA Insurance, Alea, Darlen Ltd, Finidusco Holding, Europtima, Ultragoup, BM Parks, Havilla Partners, Architects Association, Hot games UK and Thibault Verbiest. ILD is a “joint venture” constituted in the form of a PLC (Public Limited Company), based in London. It brings together an experienced team of professionals and investors – major players on the European market – who pool their knowledge and resources, with the purpose of developing and successfully completing real estate, tourism and leisure projects.

Here it isthe ILD Press Release::

Gran Scala will be a leisure city in the heart of Spain that will be a historical journey thru Time, Civilization & Cultures.

Since the conception of this project, the idea which has been the central theme of this project was the creation of “a destination city of leisure for all ages”. It will consist of 32 hotel-casinos, five (5) major theme parks, a conference center, several other hotels, hundreds of retail shops, restaurants, a golf course, a horse race track, an opera, museums, and residential development. Gran Scala is a grand scale project of International Leisure Development (ILD).

This project will be located in Spain and more precisely in the desert of Los Monegros, an hour away by car from Zaragoza, the capital of the autonomous region of Aragon. Aragon occupies a strategic place in Europe in-between 2 zones of high economic development: the Atlantic and the Mediterranean regions. Aragon is a central place of communication that is constantly being renewed due to the intensification of the exchanges in the country. Situated half way between Madrid and Barcelona, Zaragoza is the 6th largest city in Spain.

Gran Scala was first announced in Las Vegas and then in Orlando during the IAAPA (International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions). Furthermore, the project was presented to the press and to the public on the 12th of December in Zaragoza (capital of Aragon).

This project will stretch for 4.5 km² in each direction. The clock at the heart of the project will carry the heartbeat – the journey thru time. It will articulate 16 historical eras. Each historical period will be composed of two museums dedicated to the period, 2 complexes which will include a hotel and casino representing the historical theme for an impressive grand total of 32 casinos. A visitor’s journey may start in Greek antiquity, continue through the Middle Ages, travel through the Renaissance era and explore the future. Five theme parks will be implanted at the heart of Gran Scala: Two of them – Spyland and Aquantica. The first one will be a high tech park that combines the history of secret agencies and fiction with an educative and adventurous rhythm. The second park will be a homage to the Aquatic life that is so vital to us and will be decorated with a blend of different styles and periods that combine impressive sensations and decors.

This project, which will cost approximately 17 billion Euro, is considered to be the largest leisure complex in Europe. It is expected to welcome up to 25 million visitors yearly.! Gran Scala will create 60,000 direct jobs and will be a benediction for the region.

This region, currently has a population of approximately 1.2 million. It was chosen for its strategic location and accessibility from Madrid and Barcelona. The climate and excellent natural conditions were also major contributing factors.

A major objective of this project is to promote this region while upholding and respecting the highest standard of environment awareness. ILD has made a strong commitment to respect environmental concerns for the balance between the environment and tourism. ILD’s investors promise that the infrastructures will be mainly supplied though solar and wind energy. (http://ild-plc.com/en/project.html )

SpacePortLeisure, a South African company headquartered in Cape Town, is the visionary and developer of the space-themed leisure and entertainment concept and has a vision to build a global business around space-themed urban city lifestyle developments, location-based entertainment and hospitality (theme parks, entertainment centers, hotels and dining destinations), digital entertainment and electronic media. The initial geographic focus has been China, where SpacePortLeisure is establishing a significant footprint, and now Western Europe with SpacePortGranScala. (Zaragoza, Spain, PRWEB, December 13, 2007)

About SpacePortLeisure:

Imagine a global business built on futuristic learning and entertainment, and based on the wonders of the Universe and Mankind’s interaction with Space – that’s an international team of specialist experts, including an award-winning Disney imagineer, trusted consulting groups, talented designers and skilled animation experts, who together are building these lines of businesses: Virtual (Games and Online Animation and Content Development), Live (Theme Parks and Entertainment Centers, Hotels and Dining, Research, Innovation and Education), Lifestyle (Mixed-use Urban Lifestyle Development).

SpacePortLeisure was born out of Raoul Katovsky’s vision for a futuristic experience that would blend 100% entertainment and 100% education and a desire to communicate and share with everyone the wonders of the universe and mankind’s interaction with space. Over the last 11 years SpacePortLeisure has grown from this vision and today is the result of very extensive international investigatory market research and in-depth concept and business development and team building.

SpacePortLeisure and International Leisure Development sign Binding Letter of Intent for SpacePortGranScala, a futuristic space city at Gran Scala in Aragón, Spain, a Planned €17 Billion Entertainment Tourism Destination.

The underlying core offer of SpacePortGranScala will be “Explore”, “Experience”, Innovate” and “Live”, themes that will be carried through SpacePortGranScala’s theme park, hotel, retail, and lifestyle real estate.

“Using space as a theme together with our human desire to explore, and with technology as the enabler, SpacePortLeisure will provide intelligent, stimulating, and fun-filled lifestyle, entertainment and learning experiences that will give freedom to transcend language and culture, thus creating dynamic new ways of learning and of building new communities across the globe. Our creativity will be as expansive as the Universe” says Danny Naidoo, SpacePort Leisure’s recently appointed President & Chief Executive Officer, who, for the last five years, was a Microsoft South Africa Director, thus bringing a vast amount of knowledge and expertise to SpacePortLeisure.

Only a privileged few will be able to experience a real flight into space. In conceiving the SpacePortLeisure concept, the goal is to give visitors and residents alike, an experience of “Stepping into Space” at our SpacePort destinations says Raoul Katovsky, SpacePortLeisure’s Executive Chairman, who announced SpacePortGranScala at a major international media briefing by the Aragón Government in Zaragoza today.

Visitors to a SpacePortLeisure theme park will be whipped away from Planet Earth for the day on an awe inspiring adventure normally only experienced by a select few space tourists. From the moment they arrive, they will start the illusion that they are departing for a journey into space and throughout this journey will be entertained by attractions for all to enjoy from educational interactive displays and simulations to the wildest roller coasters for the true thrill seeker. (http://www.spaceportafrica.com/news_granscala.html)

Visitors to a SpacePortLeisure theme park will be whipped away from Planet Earth for the day on an awe inspiring adventure normally only experienced by a select few space tourists. From the moment they arrive, they will start the illusion that they are departing for a journey into space and throughout this journey will be entertained by attractions for all to enjoy from educational interactive displays and simulations to the wildest roller coasters for the true thrill seeker.

The mission of our SpaceportLeisure destinations is optimistic, future oriented and involving in a unique way. Everyone really is an explorer, and explorers really will make incredible discoveries about the cosmos in the next century. This place will be the rightful home of those explorers. Our “A to A Prime” narrative story paradigm involves transforming the guest from a mere observer/tourist into a participant in the story. Just about everyone wants to be an explorer — this place is the home for these daring, courageous adventurers explains Hans Deuze, SpacePortLeisure’s Acting Chief Executive Officer for Location Based Entertainment & Hospitality.

Deuze is a former Euro Disney Imagineer. Whilst working at Euro Disneyland, Deuze had vast experience and training in live show operations and special events. In 2000, Deuze was the operational producer for Walt Disney Studio’s world renowned spectacular stunt show called “Moteurs:…Action” involving specially designed cars, motor bikes, jet skis and a large cast of actors, stuntmen, technicians and support staff.

SpacePortLeisure is set to break ground late next year for SpacePortGranScala, a 95 hectare destination with a development cost of some €500 million. “BRC Imagination Arts, of Burbank, California, who have done major projects for NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Disney, to name but a few, will generate the SpacePortGranScala Master Plan” says Katovsky. (PR Web)

Most of the money will go on building 32 themed casinos, 70 hotels and five theme parks, taking advantage of Spain’s good weather and transport links, and the fact it is the world’s number two tourist destination with 50 million visitors a year. The local government has agreed to invest 250 million euros in transport links, power and telecommunications for a project that could earn it 700 million euros a year in gaming taxes. The Madrid government could get about 1 billion euros a year from gambling taxes, a source of funding that has huge potential for growth thanks to freer legislation introduced this year. The extra tax takes and the prospect of 65,000 jobs being creaeted to build and run the complex could win over locals around Zaragoza, whose major economic engines at the moment are preparations for Expo 2008 and a General Motors factory. (Guardian)

The Gran Scala complex will fill 20 square kilometres of the Los Monegros desert, located about half-way between Madrid and Barcelona, with 32 casinos, 70 hotels, 232 restaurants, 500 stores, a golf course, a race track and a bullring, according to plans unveiled Wednesday by a group of investors. To top it off, the complex, which is due to start being built next year, will include replicas of the Egyptian pyramids, various Roman temples and a mock-up of the Pentagon that will become home to Spyland, the first of several planned theme parks. “There is not, nor will there be, another entertainment complex like this in Europe,” argued Nicholas Khin, a spokesman for Aristocrat Technologies, one of 12 international groups behind the project. “This is going to be Aragon’s calling card to the world,” regional premier Marcelino Iglesias declared at Wednesday’s presentation.

Not everyone is happy, however. Environmentalists and leftist lawmakers are up in arms over the project, which will require bringing vast energy and water resources to what until now has been a sparsely populated, arid area. “We may seem like killjoys, but this is madness,” exclaimed Adolfo Barrena, the head of the United Left party in Aragon. (EL PAÍS)

Official presentation of Gran Scala project in Spain:

Las Vegas

The successful recipe of the Las Vegas complex in the desert of Nevada will be used again, this time in Europe. There are already another gambling and entertainment complex considered as the Asian Las Vegas, in Macao, and now it’s time for Europe, in the desert of Spain.

Macao

It is the desert of Aragon, where it will be built 32 hotel-casinos, two theme parks, a race course and stadium over the next decade.

Aragón, in Spanish and Aragonese; Aragó, in Catalan, is an autonomous community in the centre of north-eastern Spain. Its official name in Spanish is the “Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón.” It has an area of 47,719 km² (18,424 mi²) with a population of 1,277,471 (2006).

Aragon is bounded on the north by France, on the east by Catalonia, on the south by Valencia, and on the west by Castile-La Mancha, Castile-Leon, La Rioja, and Navarre. It comprises the provinces of Zaragoza (English and Catalan: Saragossa), Huesca, and Teruel. It is traversed by the Ebro, mountainous in the north; with beautiful fertile valleys, rather barren in the south.

Its capital is Zaragoza.

Loarre, one of the most important Romanesque castles in Europe

Saragossa, on the river Ebro

Zaragoza, also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the autonomous community and former Kingdom of Aragon. It is situated on the river Ebro and its tributaries, the Huerva and Gállego, near the centre of the region, in a valley with a variety of landscapes, ranging from desert (Los Monegros) to thick forest, meadows and mountains.

(from Wikipedia)

Location of Zaragoza

The regional government of Aragon, approves the construction of residential areas, an equestrian centre and a golf course on over 2000 hectares of land in the Los Monegros desert.

Los Monegros

The name of the project is “Gran Escala”, its estimated cost being 17 billion euro (~ $28.5 billion), footed by International Leisure Development, a London-based consortium of investors.

The estimated number of visitors is about 25 million per year.

The area has a mediterranean continental desert climate as it is surrounded by mountains.

There are many other projects that started here, like projects like Expo 2008 (the next official World’s Fair, with the theme of water and sustainable development, to be held between June 14 and September 13, 2008), Plataforma Logística de Zaragoza (PLAZA), Parque Tecnológico de Reciclado (PTR), as well as being on the route of the AVE high-speed rail route since December 2003, which consolidates the main city (Zaragoza) role as a communications hub.

“The renewal of infrastructure, the fame which is coming to Aragon and the quick action of local officials all attracted this project here,” said Didier Rancher, a French entrepreneur whose company will install the two theme parks.

The beige desert landscape may be reminiscent of Las Vegas but Zaragoza is only a two-hour flight from Stansted airport, near London, and the resort could attract millions of Britons, particularly after plans for a gambling expansion in Britain were placed in doubt by a review that Gordon Brown has ordered into plans for a Manchester “super-casino”.

The themes of the hotel-casinos will cover the sweep of history, from Pharaonic Egypt to Ancient Greece to the Roman Era and the Italian Renaissance. One of the theme parks is to be called Spyland, where the world of James Bond will be the dominant motif. Backers plan to invite Daniel Craig and Eva Green, stars of Casino Royale, the latest Bond film, to bring a touch of glamour to the project.

The project, which will be formally presented in Zaragoza on December 12.

Construction of the water park and Spyland is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2008 with the whole project built in stages.

(Information from AFP)