Batumi, the Vegas of the Black Sea in Georgia, has 11 casinos, an attractive seaside plaza and big ambitions. (Photo credit: Muhammad Cohen)
As Asian gaming remains muted with its post-Covid prospects murky, the time seems ripe for integrated resorts in Europe. Hard Rock International, Melco Resorts and Cordish are developing IRs a decade after Sheldon Adelson proposed creating EuroVegas in Spain with multiple resorts, casinos, golf courses and thousands of hotel rooms.
VIP room in Casino International at the Batumi Hilton. (Photo provided by Casino International)
Europe already has hundreds of casinos, most catering to local markets, along with a handful of gaming destinations with wider reach. Batumi, Georgia’s Black Sea Vegas, drawing customers from neighboring Turkey and the Middle East, has attractive casinos in international branded hotels, dramatic surroundings, great food and wine, plus expansion ambitions.
Melco used “Stanley Ho’s strong and enduring links with Macau and its business community” to secure the land for its flagship City of Dreams resort in Cotai.
Australia Broadcasting Corp’s Four Corners investigation of Crown Sydney skewers James Packer and former New South Wales Premier Barry O’Farrell. It touches on links between Melco and Stanley Ho that the Hong Kong and New York listed casino operator has managed to hide in plain sight for 15 years. Melco’s culture of denial enabled its futile bid to acquire Crown that lost US$235 million while awarding a US$19 million bonus to the doomed deal’s architect, Melco chairman Lawrence Ho.
Incoming Chief Executive Ho Iat Seng will preside over the expiration of Macau’s casino concessions in 2022. Beijing didn’t select Ho to rock the boat, good news for the current licensees that have invested billions to create the world’s largest casino hub. But they should be careful, not cocky.
Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.
Macau has extended the casino concessions for SJM Holdings and MGM China to June 2022, aligning them with the expiration dates for Macau’s other four casino operators. What will happen in 2022 remains as unclear as ever.
Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.
Even though May revenue growth fell short of expectations, Macau casinos have found a sweet spot with continued VIP momentum and expanding overnight visits by mass market customers.
Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.
Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.
Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.
With billions of new investment in Manila integrated resorts, Philippines casino revenue was the fastest growing in Asia last year and has kept up with the pace this year. But IGamiX Management & Consulting managing partner Ben Lee says Philippine growth rests on shaky foundations and may not last. (The interview took place and was posted before the Resorts World Manila attack.)
Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.
In an exclusive interview, Melco Resorts chairman Lawrence Ho says Crown Towers will be replaced at its City of Dreams properties in Macau and Manila. To be published in the June issue of Inside Asian Gaming, the full interview reveals Lawrence Ho’s reasons behind the exit of James Packer’s Crown Resorts from the former Melco Crown partnership and how Muhammad Cohen’s coverage influences Melco boardroom strategies.
Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.
, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at 
Muhammad Cohen 