Hamilton Princess Casino Plans Pulled Due to Delays

A US gaming company developing a casino at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club has pulled out of the project citing continued delays, The Royal Gazette today reveals.

Peter Hoetzinger, president and chief executive officer of Century Casinos, which has been involved in the development for eight years, said that with the existing legislative framework, the company could not predict that the project would be completed in a reasonable amount of time, if not 안전 토토사이트 altogether. . The hotel also said it has stopped looking for a new operator until the Bermuda Gambling Commission can provide a "viable avenue."

Hoetzinger said: “We joined the Hamilton Princess casino project eight years ago. In 2017, the project received a provisional casino license. “We have been trying to get this project off the ground for the last five years since then, but with the current legislative framework we are not assuming that this project can be done within a reasonable time frame or at all.

"Therefore, we have decided not to continue our attempts to implement casino operations in Hamilton and to abandon the casino project."

A spokesperson for the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club added: “We are disappointed that our nominated partner casino no longer wishes to move forward with the project. “While we continue to believe that gaming is attractive to visitors to Bermuda, we have halted our search for a new operator as we await a clearer roadmap from the Bermuda Casino Gaming Commission on a viable path to seeing a casino open its doors. its doors. .”

In 2017, customers of the casino predicted it could create as many as 100 jobs. It was to be owned by the hotel's owners, the Green family, and operated by Century Casinos. Andrew Green said at the time that granting an interim license could make a November 2018 opening date "realistic".

The original plans included a 9,500 square foot casino floor with 14 gaming tables, nearly 200 slot machines and an automated roulette table, to be placed in the Harbourview Ballroom. The move will be a major blow to the government, which sees the casino gaming industry as one of its four key areas for economic stimulus. Despite having received a license, there is still no date for a casino to open at the St Regis. Progress in getting the industry up and running has been hampered by delays: legislation passed in 2014 allowed a maximum of four casinos on the island.

Both the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club and the St Regis hotel in St George's have submitted license applications, and David Burt predicted that the island's first casino would open by the end of 2021. In February 2021, Jean Major, former CEO of BGC, endorsed the forecast.

In an interview with The Royal Gazette last January, Major said the deal was "progressing well" and that "June is entirely possible." The St Regis received the island's first casino license in October, however no opening date has been set, with operational steps to be completed before the dice roll.

The BGC said in October: “Bermuda's consolidated legislative framework for licensing and operating a casino involves a three-step process. “Following an extensive and thorough suitability review, BGC has awarded Bermuda's first casino license to Hotelco Bermuda Holding Ltd or/a St Regis Bermuda Resort.

"The commission has determined that the applicant has met the legislative requirements of eligibility for a license under the Gambling Act and Regulations."

The release states that issuing the license allows the applicant to go through the necessary steps to comply with all legislative requirements to open the casino.

BGC added, “The casino opening date is entirely dependent on the casino operator meeting all legislative requirements for opening, which will be subject to the commission's review and approval. "The commission remains ready to fulfill regulatory and oversight responsibilities."

The game has become the responsibility of various ministers. Jamahl Simmons first served as minister for economic development and 토토사이트 tourism, followed by Curtis Dickinson, the former finance minister, who took over in November 2018. In 2020, Burt assumed the position of minister in charge of economic development in Bermuda, a portfolio now held by Jason Hayward.

Neither the government nor the BGC have responded to questions as of press time.