Notícias da Operadora

Ásia – Sands em negociações com 'país importante' para novo resort cassino na Ásia

Tendo off-loaded its Las Vegas casinos, Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Rob Goldstein has confirmed the operator is discussing building a Marina bay Sands scale reports casino with a ‘major country’ in Asia.

Speaking to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mr. Goldstein said: “I don’t want to say where, but we’ve had some rather interesting conversations with a major country there that has reached out to us. It’s proprietary, but we’re looking to build something of scale much like Marina Bay Sands. A lot of countries in Asia have reached out to us over the years, but nothing’s happened. This one feels like it might be a major prospect. A major country, a top-tier country. I hope it’s real.”

Goldstein did reiterate that Japan is currently not an option for Sands.

“It depends on the jurisdiction, but obviously our preferred approach is an IR model with a multitude of offerings for customers ranging from casino, hotel, spa, convention, retail, restaurants and business centers,” Mr Goldstein said. “The model works, and we’ll continue to use that model in future developments. We’re talking to three states right now, and that’s the preferred approach. We’re also in discussions in a few places in Asia.

“We’re building a new one hopefully starting next year, our second Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, a fully integrated Phase 2 of our Phase 1. We don’t plan to stray from the IR model unless the jurisdiction doesn’t want an IR. That’s how we see ourselves, as large-scale IR developers. That’s our bread and butter.”

One market opportunity that does exist in Asia lies with the unfulfilled casino license in Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. Imperial Pacific International had its license to operate the casino there suspended indefinitely by the Commonwealth Casino Commission (CCC) of the Northern Mariana Islands but whether that would fit Mr. Goldstein’s description of a major country is doubtful.

Having violated five orders of the Casino Control Act, the operator was ordered to pay $6.6m in total penalty within six months, and pay immediately $15.5m and $3.1m in annual casino exclusive license fee and annual casino regulatory fee, respectively.

Não conseguiu pagar a sua taxa regulamentar anual de 3.1 milhões de dólares em 2020 devido aos efeitos da pandemia do coronavírus e também não cumpriu uma ordem de pagamento de dinheiro devido a fornecedores, violou requisitos mínimos de capital, optou por não pagar o custo de sua licença anual de cassino de US$ 15.5 milhões em 2020, e por duas vezes não conseguiu pagar US$ 20 milhões devidos ao fundo de benefícios comunitários em 2018 e 2019.

The casino and hotel have been closed since March 2020 with the operator confirming a US$367m loss for FY2020.

Thailand also offers a huge opportunity if new laws can be passed. It is one of only three ASEAN nations without legal casinos, alongside Indonesia and Brunei. Lat year country officials confirmed they would launch a feasibility study into the effects of introducing casino gaming via an integrated resort with a casino.

The House of Representatives have charged an extraordinary committee of 60 people with the task of evaluating the benefits of a casino to boost tourism and the local economy.

O primeiro-ministro tailandês, Prayut Chan-o-cha, afirmou em janeiro que os cassinos poderiam ajudar o país a sair do COVID, com o líder do Partido Palang Pracharath (PPRP), Gen Prawit Wongsuwon, dizendo: “Olhe para os países ao nosso redor. Nosso pessoal também visita esses cassinos.”