Inside Asian Gaming

APR 2019 INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 21 a jeweler and a diamond and watch boutique. There’s also a spa, karaoke and virtual golf (and in case one particular driving simulator fan is tempted, a presidential suite). The casino has a total capacity of 58 tables and 333 EGMs, with seven junket rooms. Baccarat is the most popular game as high end customers in particular tend to come from China, with Koreans, Japanese and Russians – allowed to play with no entry fee or visit restrictions – rounding out the daily average of 1,000 casino visitors. Other table games are blackjack, roulette, sic bo and casino poker variants. The betting floor color scheme emphasizes earth tones and has the comfortable feel of an oversize fur coat. LATE NIGHT BANKING Players must navigate some Russian regulatory quirks. For starters, casino guests must register with a passport or Russian national ID to enter. Russia requires that all foreign currency purchases and sales take place at banks, so the casino floor has a bank branch operating 24/7, offering competitive exchange rates, Tsifetakis assures. Tigre de Cristal casino adds its own wrinkle with bets and chips denominated in TDC units, equivalent to RUB60 or roughly US$1. On the main floor, players can squeeze their baccarat with minimum bets starting at 50 TDC. Junkets and select VIPs get short-term credit, generally repaid in less than two weeks following the visit, with no balances beyond that window and no impairments reported. To expand guest capacity, Summit Ascent says it has begun preliminary work to build villas and serviced apartments adjacent to the current resort. The additions will increase the key count by approximately 50%, according to the earnings statement, with completion scheduled early next year. That’s in advance of Tigre de Cristal Phase II, part of the original plan for the resort that’s been under revision with the changes in ownership. According to the earnings filing, Phase II will add hotel and gaming capacity, new F&B choices, an indoor beach club and, in First Steamship’s wheelhouse, a premium outlet mall. Summit Ascent is now targeting opening the first stage by the third quarter of 2021. The main gaming floor at Tigre de Cristal