![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gaming-awards.com\/NEWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ICE-Gaming-Logo-300x150.jpg\"){kind=logo}
ICE<\/strong>\nIt seems to the time for rumours and speculation not least surrounding the International Casino Exhibition. Like many in our industry I have been attending ICE for more years that I care to remember, always with joy in my heart and expectations of meeting up with old friends and confreres. Many of us regret the demise of the old venue at Earls Court in London. Sadly, despite having to move as the site was going to be developed, there is still just a hole in the ground. To think that we could have all spent a few more years in the old \u201chome\u201d. Despite this slight regret I continue to enjoy the event at its \u201cnew\u201d place, and the expansion into the on-line sphere has been a great opportunity to discover new and impressive areas of gaming. The melding of on-line and land based continues at pace so I can only imagine the wonderful products we will see in the new year.<\/p>\n
There are rumours of the exhibition moving in perhaps 2024 or 2025 to mainland Europe, and I fully understand the reasoning behind this. When the move from earls Court was first discussed I was a member of an ad hoc committee tasked to investigate alternative venues, such as Amsterdam and Barcelona. That the organisers decided to stay in London was largely down to, I believe, the pleasure that the visitors had in coming to London, and the easy transport options that were available.<\/p>\n
What nobody could have foreseen all those years ago was the devastating effect of Brexit on the ability of exhibitors to import their products, even for a short time. The added complications and administrative tasks must be a real headache for large and small exhibitors alike.<\/p>\n
Which is a great pity as I am sure there are colleagues all around Europe and the wider regions who love coming to London, even in winter, and now that the new direct rail link from Central London to docklands, the Elizabethan Line, is up and running it would make getting in and out of central London so much more relaxed and less time consuming.
\nStill, if the show has to move at least the weather is likely to be better wherever it ends up. I am sure Clarion will make a success of it if the move is made.<\/p>\n
Mayfair<\/strong> Switzerland<\/strong><\/p>\n The applications are in for the renewal of the concessions in my old home of Switzerland. The present licenses will become invalid at the end of 2024 so new operating licenses must be awarded before then so that the casinos can continue to operate from the beginning of 2025. As I was very much involved in the process of awarding the first licenses when I was working for the Swiss Federal Gaming Board in 2001 it will be interesting to see how the industry has developed since then. Most believe it has been a great success, with a highly regulated market still allowing its operators to be financially successful and has very quickly matured into a highly professional industry. U.K. Government decision Here in the U.K. we are still waiting to see what the \u201cWhite Paper\u201d, that is the government instrument for putting forward new legislation, will bring by way of changes to gaming regulations for casino gaming. Speculation is rife as to what the changes may be, and there is real hope that the land-based casinos may be given some latitude in operating more slots on their premises. Despite the UK Gambling Commission handing out some pretty serious fines to some operators the industry has made a great effort in policing themselves, endeavouring to ensure that the businesses are run in an open and fair manner, which I really hope will be recognised by the law makers.<\/p>\n City of Dreams<\/strong> By Tim Cullimore There’s a lot going on at this time of year with the holidays approaching. I\u2019ve spoken before about the wide differences in culture in various global regions when looking at how Christmas, New Year and all the other end of year celebrations are held in casinos, enough to say that I hope […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":51985,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,8,132],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51984","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-headlines","category-latest","category-sportsbetting"],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe jury is still out as to whether Mayfair, probably the worlds most exclusive casino neighbourhood, can recover from the effects of the pandemic. Clearly the continued lack of visitors from China and the Far East is having a lasting impact on casino revenues, and travel by high end players from across the world has undoubtedly been curtailed for many. The beautiful building that is the Claremont casino in Berkeley Square has struggled to get traction leading to its temporary closure not long after it had opened, despite the best efforts of its experienced owners and management. A new opening in the old Playboy property and new management of the Park Lane club may give some impetuous to the market, and the existing clubs continue to offer industry leading levels of customer service, so maybe there is hope.<\/p>\n
\nThere will be a maximum of 23 concessions and 29 companies have put forward their dossiers for consideration. My previous employer, the Casino de Crans Montana in the Valais region will have stiff competition for the renewal of their license by two applicants for new casinos in the region, and not too far from the Barrier Casino de Montreux there is a brand-new concession up for grabs in the beautiful city of Lausanne, one of the original city applicants in the year 2000. It looks like 20 years of patience has paid off for the town, with three candidates vying for the one license.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/gaming-awards.com\/NEWS\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/UK-Island-300x300.jpg\")
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\n2023 will see the opening of the City of Dreams Mediterranean integrated resort in Limassol, Cyprus. I for one will be very excited to get a look at it. After all the years of discussion about having Vegas style resorts in Europe, will this be the one to show it can be done? Could it be the first of many, with the Hard Rock led Elliniko resort in Athens finally breaking ground, and continued rumours of a similar resort in Spain, perhaps in the region of Madrid.
\nI wish everybody a very happy holiday season, and I look forward to a very busy 2023 with lots of new projects on the table and great new colleagues to work alongside, and after the pandemic showed us how much we need each other, in business as in life, my promise for the New year is \u201cKeep in Touch\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"