THE MACAU METRO MONITOR, JUNE 3, 2013
MELCO INTERNATIONAL ASKED TO RUN CASINO IN BARCELONA Macau Business
Melco International Development Ltd, one of the controlling shareholders of MPEL, has been invited to take part in a US$1 billion (MOP8 billion) gaming project in Barcelona, Spain at 'Barcelona World', aka BCN World. The project is being organized via a vehicle called Veremonte.
According to media reports, BCN World will start with a single resort, with 1,100 hotel beds, a casino and a theatre. The project should be in operation by 2016. The long-term aim is for BCN World to have six resorts.
MAY GGR DSEC, SCMP
May gross gaming revenues grew 13.5% YoY to 29.589 BN MOP (28.73 BN HKD). The monthly figures came after torrential rains and flooding hit Macau and nearby Guangdong province. Macau saw the heaviest rainfall since 1982 during the middle of May while transport access was restricted for close to two days.
Infrastructure developments in the coming years are expected to help lift the number of visitors to Macau. Currently most tourists come from Guangdong and other nearby provinces. A bridge joining Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau is set to open by 2016 while expanded intercity rail links will help shorten the time of travel from China’s northern cities to the gambling enclave. Plans are also in place to upgrade Macau’s capacity-constrained ferry terminals and international airport.
MIKE LEVEN IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: "CASINOS WILL BE SMOKE-FREE" Macau Daily Times
LVS COO MIke Leven: "Look I could get fired for telling you this but I think eventually there will be no smoking in these casinos. It’s going to happen like that - or if there is smoking it will be very limited, very limited. And the reason for that is that it’s what’s happening all over the world. I think Angela Leong, who made a big fuss about this, is going to win in the end. Eventually by 2017-18 we’re going to have almost no smoking casinos, inevitably." The link to the full interview: http://www.macaudailytimes.com.mo/interview/44244-mike-leven-in-an-exclusive-interview%3A-%E2%80%9Ccasinos-will-be-smoke-free%E2%80%9D.html
SJM PUSHES MASS-MARKET MINIMUM BETS UP Macau Business
SJM has raised the minimum bets in over 10% of its mass-market tables since the beginning of the year, said CEO Ambrose So. So explained that the minimum stake is adjusted regularly according to market conditions. He added that SJM Holdings is looking to increase mass-market tables and raise revenue at the most profitable casinos. However, So said the company has no plans to purchase any of its own satellite casinos. Last month, Galaxy announced the acquisition of Grand Waldo, one of its own satellite casinos.
