gamingnewsroundup on TV and placing a bet from the comfort of an armchair,” notes Bartlett. “The land based businesses are going to find it hard to compete with the value on the internet and with as much as 30% of gambling revenue now leaving the UK and going offshore the government should take note,” he concludes.
International Gaming Awards 2009 Now in it’s second year, the International Gaming Awards 2009 is set to attract even more industry heavy-hitters and raise more money for worthy causes. Canadian Gaming Business magazine has been nominated in the Journal/ Magazine Online or Offline category. On January 26, 2009, the most influential figures in gaming will gather at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington, London for this year’s awards. The Awards seeks to reward excellence in all areas of gaming, not limited to commercial success alone – awards this year include accolades for eco-friendly companies as well as those operators who take social responsibility seriously. The International Gaming Awards has the direct support of internationally influential groups such as The Australasian Casino Association, ADIB (The Russian Gaming Operators Association), The Canadian Gaming Association and the National Indian Gaming Association. In the UK, the Casino Operator’s Association supports the awards. The awards will be presented by Geoff Cotton, a professional multi-lingual speaker who has worked extensively on events such as this worldwide. The keynote speaker in January will be UK Conservative MP and Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport, Tobias Ellwood. He will be speaking to an audience keen to learn what a future Conservative government would have in store for the UK gaming market. At last year’s ceremony, Mr. Michael Boettcher, President of Storm International BV and founder of the Russian Responsible Gaming Fund, was awarded the muchcoveted Outstanding Achievement Award. Recognizing and rewarding those who have contributed so much to our industry is one of the primary aims of the International Gaming Awards.
Fallsview Casino Resort Officially Opens Asian-themed Table Games On December 1, officials with Fallsview Casino Resort officially opened a unique
Asian-themed table games pit on their 200,000-square-foot gaming floor. The pit features mini-baccarat, Sic Bo, Pai Gow Poker and Pai Gow Tiles and a number of Asian design elements, including dragon figures on the table layouts and murals on the walls. For Asian slot players, the pit is surrounded by new slot machines with Asian themes like “China Shores,” “Samurai Gold,” “Lion Dance” and “Jade of the Dragon.”
first component of what is planned to be the largest tourism complex in Vietnam. MGM Grand Ho Tram will feature 1,100 rooms, a world-class gaming and entertainment facility, luxury retail, chef-driven restaurants, high-tech meeting spaces, live entertainment stages, stunning nightlife, destination spa services, and an exclusive VIP area, as well as a variety of beach-front recreation activities. ACDL is an international development and real estate company specializing in
Seen here during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Asian pit at Fallsview are (from left) Shannon Dutton, Table Games Manager, Richard Taylor, VP Operations, Art Frank, President, Niagara Casinos, and John Stamatakos, Executive Director, Table Games.
MGM MIRAGE Hospitality and Asian Coast Development Ltd. (ACDL) Announce Plans to Develop MGM Grand Ho Tram Integrated Resort In Vietnam MGM MIRAGE and Toronto-based Asian Coast Development Ltd. announced plans to develop the MGM Grand Ho Tram, Vietnam’s first “Las Vegas style” integrated resort. ACDL will own and finance the project and MGM MIRAGE will provide development assistance, brand equity and operate the five-star integrated resort property upon completion. MGM Grand Ho Tram will anchor the $4.2 billion multi-property Ho Tram Strip resort complex being developed by ACDL along the pristine beaches of South China Sea. The Ho Tram Strip is set on a 2.2 kilometre strip of white sand located in the Ba Ria Vung Tau Province of southwest Vietnam, eighty miles from Ho Chi Minh City. MGM Grand Ho Tram will be the
integrated resort destinations. Phase I of the development, scheduled to be open in 2011, includes the Vegas-style gaming facility, the five star hotel and a championship golf course designed by Greg Norman. ACDL has already broken ground for the MGM Grand resort. “This is a landmark project not just for our company, but for the people of Vietnam,” said Mike Aymong, Chairman of ACDL. “By creating partnerships with world-class operators such as MGM MIRAGE, this burgeoning destination is poised to transform Vietnam’s tourist industry and designed to compete with integrated resorts in neighboring China, Malaysia and Singapore. Our goal is to develop a five-star coastal paradise that attracts tourists year-round with its temperate climate, breath-taking views, and concentration of high-quality resorts and entertainment.” Canadian Gaming Business | 9