Hamilton Princess Casino plans to close due to delays

A US gaming company developing a casino at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club has scrapped the project citing ongoing delays, the Royal Gazette can reveal today.

Century Casinos President and CEO Peter Hoetzinger, who has been involved in the development for eight years, said that with the current legal framework, the company cannot ensure that the project will be completed in a timely manner. , if any. The casino said it has stopped looking for a new operator until the Bermuda Gaming Commission can provide a "good alternative".

Mr Hoetzinger said: “We joined the Hamilton Princess Casino eight years ago. In 2017, the project received a temporary casino license. "Since then - in the last five years - we have tried to put this work in place, but with the current legal 토토사이트 추천 system, we do not think that this work will be done in a timely manner or at all.

"Therefore, we have decided not to pursue our efforts to implement a casino in Hamilton and to withdraw from the casino."

A spokesperson for the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club added: “We are disappointed that our chosen casino no longer wishes to pursue this project. "While we continue to believe that gaming represents an attractive proposition for visitors to Bermuda, we have ended our search for a new operator pending a clear path forward from Bermuda Casino Gaming. The road commission can see the casino open its doors.”

In 2017, supporters of the casino predicted that it could create up to 100 jobs. It will be owned by the owners of the hotel, the Green family, and Century Casinos will manage it. Andrew Green said at the time that temporary licensing could make an opening date of November 2018 "realistic".

The original plan called for a 9,500-square-foot casino with 14 gaming tables, nearly 200 slot machines and an automatic roulette table, to be housed in the Harbourview Ballroom. The move will come as a shock to the government, which sees the gambling industry as one of its four pillars of economic recovery. Despite obtaining a license, there is still a date for the opening of the casino at St Regis. Progress makes the company work without delay - the laws passed in 2014 allowed the maximum of four casinos on the island.

Hamilton Princess & Beach Club and the St Regis Hotel in St George's have been awarded the license and David Burt has predicted that the island's first casino will open by the end of 2021. In February 2021, Jean Major, former CEO of BGC, confirmed the policy.

In an interview with the Royal Gazette last January, Mr Major said the project was "going well" and "June is absolutely possible". The St Regis received the island's casino license in October, however, no date has been set for the opening, and construction must be completed before the dice start rolling.

BGC said in October: “Bermuda's legal process for licensing and opening casinos involves a three-step process. “Following a thorough and thorough investigation, BGC has awarded the Bermuda Casino License to Hotelco Bermuda Holding Ltd o/a St Regis Bermuda Resort.

"The Commission has determined that the applicant has met the eligibility requirements for a license under the Gaming Act and Regulations."

The statement shows that issuing a license allows the applicant to take the necessary steps to comply with all the legal 토토사이트 requirements to open a casino.

BGC added: "The opening date of the casino is entirely dependent on the casino operator meeting all the requirements of the opening of the law which will be reviewed and approved by the commission. "The commission continues to be prepared to fulfill its regulatory and oversight responsibilities."

Gambling falls under the jurisdiction of many ministers. Jamahl Simmons first served as Minister for Economic Development and Tourism, followed by former Finance Minister Curtis Dickinson, who took office in November 2018. In 2020, Mr Burt took up the role as Bermuda's minister for economic development, a portfolio currently held by Jason Hayward.

Neither the government nor the BGC had responded by press time.