Last week, the plan to see Petersburg, Virginia turn into the state’s fifth city that would host a casino came one step closer to becoming a reality, thanks to the Virginia Senate clearing Senate Bill 628 that could give the green light to a casino in the city.

Now, according to a unanimous decision announced by the Petersburg City Council, the next phase in advancing a Destination Resort project is underway. 

Proposals from Operators and Developers Are Expected

The fresh resolution is leading the way for a Request for Proposal (RFP) issued on February 12 that encourages proposals from casino operators and developers in regard to the “comprehensive economic development project, including a destination resort, real estate development, retail, event venue, and casino.”

Proposals can be presented before March 18 at 10 a.m. EST. 

The council’s resolution has justified the RFP using the argument that tax revenue from this type of gaming resort could be employed for the benefit of local infrastructure, education, health, public safety, recreation, parks, and a variety of other initiatives that are expected to build wealth in the community.

Petersburg Thanks Virginia Lawmakers

Virginia state legislation that was passed in 2020 allowed five cities to weigh a commercial casino. The casino referendums held in Bristol, Norfolk, Danville, and Portsmouth were all successful. 

Richmond voters, however, rejected the idea of having a casino in the city two times in 2021 and 2023.

Ever since the Petersburg City Council has attempted to gain the right to a similar referendum to ask residents if they would like to have a casino resort in the town. 

Since Richmond’s casino prospects appear to be close to zero, state lawmakers appreciated the idea of seeing Petersburg qualify for sports betting, slot machines, and table games.

The Senate Bill’s chief patron, Senator Lashrecse Aird, together with Senator Louise Lucas, has played a crucial role in advocating for the city’s inclusion “as a host city in General Assembly legislation.”

According to the City Council, the legislative milestone accurately showcases the “collaborative efforts between Petersburg officials and Senator Aird in advancing the bill” and encourages local community members to engage and show support for it. 

The Resort Would Include a Casino and 500 Hotel Rooms

The Petersburg RFP features a number of detailed guidelines and recommendations, including a mandatory casino, at least 500 four-star hotel rooms, retail shopping, dining and drinking venues, as well as an entertainment venue.

Petersburg would also only partner with a reputable casino brand with a proven record of financial sustainability and success. 

City councilors have also expressed their preference to see the hotel component featuring two separate offerings from well-known hoteliers.

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The Philippines-based resort will now promote itself through the “Okada Manila Go” initiative launched to coincide with surging financial performance across the group. Universal Entertainment Corp, the company that owns Okada Manila, saw H1 2023 sales go up by 40.8% to $548 million.

Okada Manila Beckons to Local and International Players

Okada Manila itself hit a 68% increase in sales, reaching $331 million and adjusted EBITDA of $104 million, up 96.2%. This is much better than the results reported at the end of 2022. Okada Manila is not just banking on its casino to bring in crowds, however. The resort is also seeking its food and beverage business pick up with its restaurants proving to be particularly popular in the Philippines and pulling in crowds.

The Okada Manila Go campaign, though, is more geographically focused as it will seek to first incentivize local audiences and focus on gaming, promising members various prizes such as round-trip tickets to Manila, bus tickets, free hotel stays, and more. Commenting on this opportunity, the company said in a press statement that the campaign wants to also raise awareness for the resort beyond its own borders.

This campaign is currently only in the Philippines but is expected to be expanded to include gaming members in other countries too. To bring in more foreign tourists, we will also increase marketing activities in several Asian countries.

Okada Manila is seeking to strengthen its landscape on the one hand while also outlining plans for further digital growth on the other. PIGO, Okada Manila’s online gambling offering, will also be growing over the next years, with the company seeking to grow in this vertical as well.

Growing Beyond the Land-Based Sector

“These activities are steadily increasing gaming demand in areas of the Philippines other than Luzon Island, where Manila is located,” Okada Manila said in a statement. The next steps towards securing stronger business performance will equally focus on expanding the available online casino games.

Okada Manila is not the only business that is interested in exploring online gambling, on top of strengthening its land-based performance. The Philippines as a whole has suggested that it will seek to host a national online casino, Casino Filipino, that will be licensed to operate globally, in what is a first move for a country worldwide.

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City of Dreams Mediterranean officially opened for business this week after five years of planning, building, and outfitting guests for the high-end adventure of a lifetime in Europe’s largest and only integrated casino resort.

The sheer mass and design elements of the building seem to indicate it would be visible from several miles away with a shape reminiscent of a Mayan temple or a well-known tourist landmark in the Middle East, Sheraton Doha. On might even recall A Cancun casino resort.

Despite the similarities in aesthetics from a distance, City of Dreams is much different – inside and out.

Casino Gaming in a Luxury Environment

While a Mayan temple at Chichen Itza may or may not hold grand treasures, the only way most people will leave this property with a small fortune is to enter it with a large one – lady luck notwithstanding.

The hotel has 500 rooms in a range of luxuries and price points but each room is fresh and the accouterments are unique to the property. The development in toto is the first in Cyprus to achieve a BREEAM Excellent rating for its sustainability strategy beginning at the design stage.

Architecturally, the development was recently honored by the European Property Awards 2023 for achievements in three categories: Best Hotel Architecture Europe: Best Sustainable Commercial Development Europe, and finally, Best New Hotel Construction & Design Cyprus.

Once you get beyond the strategically placed palm trees and massive pool complex, expect high walls of marble to greet you indoors.

Options include a visit to a diamond boutique, relaxing in a cozy chair and trying on high-end wristwatches, or sorting through designer clothing in one of the retail outlets.

While the description may sound like a world away, the design elements are all tied together with local geo design elements like cobbled floors and paths outdoors, plenty of greenery on the pathways to the largest pool complex in the Mediterranean along with cool blues and other hues that tie it all together and meld it with the local environment.

If you are itching to simply know about the gambling experience, that element needs to be put in its proper context as this is an integrated resort as much as it is a casino surrounded by “distractions”. However, expect to find a modest number of slots – 750, and a modest number of gaming tables – 75. How and where the machines and tables are placed is unique with a mixture of banks of machines and scatters of machines throughout some table gaming areas.

Table game options include the following:

• American Roulette
• 3 Card Poker
• Mini Punto Banco
• Baccarat
• Blackjack
• Casino Stud Poker
• Russian Poker
• Texas Hold’em
• Ultimate Texas Hold’em
• Omaha

City of Dreams Mediterranean offers gaming in a luxury resort setting rather than obligatory distractions surrounding a money pit to capture revenues. It seems to be designed holistically.

Full days could be spent exploring everything from zip lines to obstacle courses, climbing walls, and trampolines.

Several eateries and other amenities opened on Monday following a soft opening earlier. Expect a few more food, drink, and entertainment venues to open strategically over the coming days, weeks, and months to help keep the property front and center in the minds of visitors and potential visitors.

Not All Is Paradisical Below the Surface

Union organizers and members are upset about policies that seem to be working against employees exercising collective bargaining to get their fair share of the profits that will be left n the machines and on the tables by visitors from all over Europe and the larger world at the Cyprus resort casino.

One union decided to cancel a planned protest at the request of the Labor Minister who had asked organized workers to “refrain from confrontation”. However, another union decided to go ahead with plans to hold a small protest at the property on opening day.

According to local media reports, the problem is systemic and major rather than specific terms of employment, compensation, or benefits for employees at this point. Cyprus Mail reports that Peo Union (Syxpa-Peo branch Neophytos Timinis) would not “back down” until assurances were given that representatives of the union would be given access to the property.

Both Peo and Deok assert that management in the form of Melco, forbids access to union activities in the workplace and will not allow efforts to unionize workers.

Predictably, perhaps, Melco called the protests “unfounded and poorly timed” an obvious reference to opening day. The opening and ongoing success of the casino is important to Cyprus meeting its goals of becoming a well-known tourist destination so it’s no wonder Labour Minister Yiannis Panayiotou has involved himself directly in the dispute.

On that issue, a Deok union representative said that the labor minister’s intervention would be a turning point towards “fully implementing Cypriot laws and the constitution, that set in stone union liberties.”. With that, Deck union canceled its planned protest.

“The operator of the resort casino needs to realize that its business activities are conducted on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and it should stop behaving like a state within a state, disrespecting the legal order of its host state,” Deok noted.

Peo union indicated talks were ongoing out of public earshot, but it would hold the course until City of Dreams Mediterranean allows the union access to the resort to work on unionizing employees.

“The how and where can be agreed later, with the minister’s help,” a Peo union rep purportedly told the Cyprus Mail.

Source: The City of Dreams Mediterranean casino resort officially opens on Monday, Cyprus-Mail, July 9, 2023

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According to Mark Cuban, one of the most prominent Shark Tank personalities and a billionaire, the arrival of integrated casino resorts in Texas would have a significant impact on the state’s tourism profile and significantly boost the state’s economic profile.

Making Texas a Tourism-Worthy Destination

Many companies have already shown interest in bringing their operations to bear in the state, including Las Vegas Sands, which has been lobbying to convince legislators of the validity of why bringing a casino resort would make a lot of sense.

Cuban, though, sees in the arrival of potential casino resorts the opportunity to transform the leisure travel and hospitality industries in the state, and give them a significant boost. Cuban spoke to The Dallas Morning News, a prominent media outlet, and spoke about what he saw as a major problem.

He argued that many people in Texas now had to save up for a trip to go to another state and try the experiences that a casino resort could bring right in their backyard. He acknowledged that fears about potential societal ills stemming from gambling were not to be overlooked and called it “a hook.”

However, he remains confident that there is actual value in turning Texas into one of those destination states where people from all over the country would be willing to save up for to visit and enjoy many of its facilities.

Legislative Efforts Coming Short of Supermajority

To get there, though, the state would need the right legislative framework in place. Efforts to push a form of commercial casino gambling and see Texas join one of the dozens of states in the United States that offer this service seem to be dead this legislative session with a bill backed by Rep. Charlie Geren falling through and dashing those hopes.

Geren’s House Joint Resolution managed to secure 92 votes in support of moving forward with the matter, but it fell short of the required 100-vote threshold to make it happen. Cuban has expressed his disappointment and said that the state needs to do more so that Texas can truly become a tourism beacon and attract more visitors.

Joint Resolution 155 did demonstrate changing attitudes towards commercial gambling in the state in general, proving that there is significant interest in the addition of casino resort gambling. The rub is that in order to pass any such changes, the state would need to still alter its constitution which requires a super majority and hence why Joint Resolution 155 missed the mark.

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