Each week, CasinoBeats breaks down the numbers behind some of the industry’s most interesting stories. In this latest entry we look at South Korean integrated resort ambitions, the world’s largest sportsbook and European igaming growth.
20
European consumers are continuing a trend of showing a greater affinity for mobile gaming, as new data reveals that the continents online gambling market grew by 11 per cent last year.
According to market data published by the European Gaming and Betting Association in partnership with H2 Gambling Capital, the market expansion saw gross gaming revenue rise from 2017’s €20m to €22.2m year-on-year.
The data is said to confirm a “a record-high online gambling share of the EU’s total gambling market,” with online activity accounting for a 23.2 per cent slice, up from the previous year’s 21.2 per cent.
The UK market accounted for the largest portion of the total EU online gambling market with 34.2 per cent, representing a market value of €7.3bn GGR.
Offline gambling, such as casinos, lotteries and bookmakers, finished with a total GGR of €73.5bn, accounting for 76.8 per cent of the overall EU market. The total EU gambling market value was €95.7 billion GGR.
1,360
Construction of Las Vegas’ Circa Resort and Casino has reached the halfway mark, with downtown’s first such entity to be built from the ground up in over three decades proceeding towards a December 2020 opening.
The project will be the first ground-up gaming resort in Downtown Las Vegas since 1980, with CEO and developer Derek Stevens announcing that the integrated casino resort is at the midway point of a 22-month construction process.
Located at the Fremont Street Experience, Circa intends to “honour the timeless spirit of Las Vegas while leading the charge for a bold new era with game-changing offerings”.
The 1.25 million-square-foot, 777-room property will stand as the tallest structure north of the Las Vegas strip, and will house a two-story casino that contains 1,360 slot machines and 49 table games.
Furthermore, the “world’s largest sportsbook,” operated by Stevens’ sports betting venture Circa Sports, will serve as the centrepiece of the entity.
Striving to become “a mecca for sports gamblers,” fans will be able to take in three levels of action taking place on a 78-million-pixel high-definition screen, billed as “the largest sportsbook screen in history”. The Vegas Stats and Information Network will also have its own on-site studio offering bettors in-depth analysis from a roster of experts.
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The Novomatic Group has opened its third casino operation in the autonomous community of Andalusia in Spain after months on “intensive” renovation.
Casino Admiral Granada, the first casino property to debut within the region for almost 100 years, opened its doors for the first time recently as members of the public got a first glance at the gaming, betting, dining and leisure offerings.
In excess of 800 individuals, among them numerous invitees from the local politics and economy, attended the opening ceremony that intended to offer a taste of what locals and tourists can expect from this new attraction.
Located within close proximity to the city centre of Granada, the establishment comprises 110 video slots with five different jackpots, an electronic roulette installation and a broad live gaming offer with several tables for American roulette, blackjack and Caribbean stud poker.
Novomatic operates three casinos in the South of Spain with Casino Admiral Granada joining Casino Admiral San Roque, the company’s first acquisition in the region and Casino Admiral Sevilla, which opened its doors earlier this year.
The opening of the latter followed more than a year and €6m of investment as it introduced 7,000 square metres of gaming floors, poker areas, restaurants and show venues.
20,000
The government of the South Korean city of Incheon has outlined plans to establish the region as a hub for the culture and tourism industries in Northeast Asia via the Yeongjong-do Integrated Resort Cluster Project.
This comes as Yeongjong island, located off the west coast of the city and where the Incheon International Airport is located, continues to expand cultural and tourism facilities, such as 5-star hotels, foreigners-only casinos, convention installations, spas and theme parks.
Already boasting the Paradise City complex, the region is to be joined by the Caesars Resort Complex and Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment’s Inspire Entertainment Resort in the next few years.
The Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority expects the resort complex businesses to generate over 20,000 new jobs and a financial impact of approximately KRW 2trn (US $1.6bn) annually.
2020
As the preparations for CasinoBeats Malta 2020 continue to gather pace, another stellar name has been added to the line-up with Relax Gaming making its exhibition debut at the March event.
CasinoBeats Malta returns to the island on March 24-26, with the second edition of the event set to be significantly larger than the 2019 debut – and supported by some of the biggest names in the sector.
CasinoBeats will welcome up to 1,500 delegates to the Intercontinental Malta, offering delegates six conference tracks and unparalleled networking opportunities with more than 100 operators present, along with regulators, leading suppliers, payment companies, affiliates and marketers.
