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which are located close to the Turkish border. In 2012, Turkey and Georgia relaxed travel restrictions on each other’s citizens. It remains unclear whether or not Tayyp will take any further action to mitigate Turkish gambling on Georgian soil. However, if the 2012 actions are reversed and more stringent travel policies are introduced, foreign visitation to Georgian casinos could suffer.
Estonia A single casino license in Albania will soon be offered for the Amadeus Palace resort in Tirana
The winning bidder will also be allowed to construct a satellite casino and up to three slot parlors in the country. Once the integrated resort is finally operational in the country, it will likely lead to a boost in tourism. The country could use a tourism catalyst, as tourism grew at a CAGR of only 3 percent from 2010 to 2014.
Malta The country of Malta currently has four operating casinos. In 2015, these casinos welcomed over 781,000 visitors of which nearly 399,000 were nonMaltese. Additionally, the casinos generated approximately €36 million in GGR for the same year. One of Malta’s casinos, the Dragonara Casino, recently underwent a €10 million renovation. While the €10 million price tag for the upgrade may seem small, it included a new VIP lounge. Given the country’s picturesque scenery and mild climate, the Dragonara Casino does well in attracting high-end clientele. On the regulatory side, Malta Gaming Authority’s chairman, Joseph Cuschieri, recently said the country’s Gaming Authority will be proposing new legislation in the coming months. This legislation will allow for complete governance of the gaming sector. Cuschieri explained in an interview that he sees Malta’s gaming industry “(being) much larger in 10 years’ time.”
Russia The gaming landscape in Russia continues to go through dynamic changes. Recently, Tigre De Cristal, the only casino operating in the Primorye gaming zone, announced that VIP gambling turnover increased to $283 million in August after the casino signed new fixed-room deals with junket operators. This represents a nearly nine-times increase in monthly VIP turnover from November of last year when the casino officially opened. Elsewhere, in May 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended a shutdown order to January 1, 2019 for casinos operating in AzovCity. Even though the extension allows the casinos to remain operational for several more years, it reaffirms the government’s commitment to shift gaming activity for the region to Sochi.
Georgia The country of Georgia has approximately 14 operating casinos. Georgia has an attractive tax structure which creates an incentive for casinos in Georgia to grow by providing set annual and quarterly fees rather than taxing overall revenues. These fixed annual fees are conducive to larger facilities. In development news, earlier this year, Melco International announced its decision to pull out of its planned casino inside the five-star Millennium Biltmore Hotel. More recently, Georgian media reported that Turkish President Recep Erdogan Tayyp has begun lobbying to close Georgian land-based casinos, many of 56
Global Gaming Business NOVEMBER 2016
The gambling industry in Estonia is regulated by several laws. The two principal laws are the Law on Gambling from 1995 and the Law on Lottery from 1996. The State Fees Act from 1997 deals with fees for the gambling industry. Gambling Tax Law of 2004 regulates the taxation of gambling. In April 2009 the Estonian parliament, Riigikogu, adopted the new Gambling Tax which came into force on June 1. The new Gambling Law set stricter rules and higher financial and technical requirements for operators. Taxes on some forms of gambling were also increased. In addition to the new gambling tax, the Gambling Act of 2009 was introduced to better regulate and control the Estonian gambling industry, which had grown into many small, widely dispersed gambling locations. This legislation required all slot halls and casinos to have at least 40 slot machines and five gaming tables. This act also led to the legalization of online gambling. In development news, Olympic Entertainment Group opened its largest casino resort in Tallinn, Estonia earlier this year. The casino resort includes the 202-room Hilton Tallinn Park, which is the first Hilton hotel in the Baltic region.
Czech Republic As of 2014, the Czech Republic was home to approximately 108 casinos, containing approximately 2,155 slots and 331 tables. Nearly one-third of the country’s casinos are located in Prague, with approximately 681 slot machines and 104 tables. Since 2011, gaming revenue in the Czech Republic has declined at an average annual rate of 5.9 percent due to the increased popularity of VLT machines within the market. The Innovation Group expects this decrease to continue in the near future. New gaming legislation was published in October 2014 and is set to be implemented in 2017, although it still requires approval from the Senate. This proposed law will raise the slot tax from 28 percent to 35 percent and require strict regulations on the registration of players. Additionally, it will open online gaming operations to foreign entities and give the Ministry of Finance the power to close any illegal facilities.