Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING | January 2014 20 FEATURE “Without the evening excursion, Resorts World Bimini simply cannot generate the revenues needed to continue the day excursions, meet our financial commitments, and otherwise continue the foregoing contributions to the local economy in Miami,” wrote Gregory Karan, senior vice president of Bimini SuperFast Operations. “The potential losses are incalculable.” The CPB responded in a motion filed this month. “Plaintiffs have come to the court asking it to save them from a series of bad business decisions,” it said. “Plaintiffs still possess multiple courses of action that would help them avoid any potential harm to their parent company’s $39 billion market capitalization.” The judge in the case has asked lawyers for both sides to clarify their arguments. Genting still wants to do something bigger in Florida. They run the most lucrative machine gaming venue in the country in New York City under the Resorts World brand. They plan to invest upwards of $4 billion on a megaresort on the Las Vegas Strip. And according to Mr Ballard, “They’re not closing out the destination resort option at all.” In its federal lawsuit, Genting says if it can’t use foreign workers on its gambling cruises “The potential losses are incalculable.” The US Customs and Border Patrol Agency responds that “Plaintiffs have come to the court asking it to save them from a series of bad business decisions.” “It will draw a legal challenge. I guarantee it. This is an expansion of gambling.” Genting and Las Vegas Sands have blown millions on high-powered lobbying campaigns for resort-scale casinos in South Florida only to have the Legislature reject the idea—twice—under pressure from Disney, the Florida Chamber of Commerce and religious groups. Mr Ballard said if lawmakers don’t approve them when they meet again in 2014 after a sweeping review of the state’s gambling laws, “It’s probably not going to happen.” The Gulfstream partnership could prove critical. Racing is big business in the state, it enjoys a broad base of public support, and it wields clout in Tallahassee. As Mr Powell said, “In Florida, we’re a $1 billion industry with tens of thousands of jobs and an economic impact that exceeds [baseball] spring training.”