Inside Asian Gaming

INSIDE ASIAN GAMING APR 2019 14 BREAKFAST BRIEFS SILVER HERITAGE LAUNCHES VIP GAMING AT NEPAL’S TIGER PALACE RESORT STAR WARNS OF EGM SATURATION AS ROI PROCESS OPENS FOR SECOND GOLD COAST CASINO AUSTRALIA’S Star Entertainment Group has warned against the potential addition of any further electronic gaming machines into the Gold Coast market after the Queensland government officially called for global Registrations of Interest to develop a Global Tourism Hub (GTH). Although full details of the government’s proposal are yet to be released, any new Gold Coast development is certain to contain gaming with Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones stating that it would cap the amount of total floor space to be used for gaming purposes at 5%. It has been suggested that a range of MICE and non-gaming attractions would also form a key part of any successful proposal. Caesars, Hard Rock and NagaCorp are among the international gaming firms to have previously expressed an interest in a Gold Coast casino. In a filing to the Australian Securities Exchange, Star Entertainment Group – which is in the midst of an AU$850 million upgrade of its current Gold Coast property and has been granted government approval to initiate an additional US$2 billion master plan – said it has yet to be informed of “any detailed information on what constitutes a GTH or the government’s requirements around minimum investment levels, potential location and what, if any, gaming product will be permissible.” It added that the company “has a declared position that the Gold Coast is already saturated as an electronic gaming machine market.” The Queensland government is set to establish a tourism advisory panel to aid the selection process for any new IR operator, while Star said it has already been invited to take part in the secondary Expressions of Interest phase. SILVER Heritage Group launched VIP gaming at Tiger Palace Resort on 2 March as the Nepal IR celebrated the one year anniversary of its official casino launch. The property’s new VIP area includes three VIP rooms covering a combined 4,500 square feet, with a total of 11 gaming tables, high limit slots, a lobby lounge and private dining area. It also boasts secure access from the casino’s premium gaming area or via separate private access. Silver Heritage recently reported a 110% increase in table drop to US$2.1 million and 142% uptick in footfall to 10,584 at Tiger Palace in January – the first month since opening in late December 2017 that it has reported comparative year-on-year results. The Star Gold Coast