GGRAsia – Melco group opens new satellite casino in Cyprus

Melco group opens new satellite casino in Cyprus

Dec 27, 2018 Newsdesk Latest News, Top of the deck, World

Cyprus Casinos, led by Asian gaming entrepreneur Lawrence Ho Yau Lung, opened on Friday a third casino – described as a “satellite” to the eventual main resort – in the Mediterranean holiday island of the Republic of Cyprus.

Cyprus Casinos Larnaca (C2 Larnaca) is located at the Larnaca International Airport, near the port city of Larnaca on the south coast of Cyprus.

C2 Larnaca has facilities in two different areas of the airport terminal, according to a company press release. It offers an aggregate of 42 slot machines. The first location in the departures area is accessible only to airside passengers, while the second in the arrivals area is accessible to the general public, said the firm.

“Keeping to our schedule, C2 Larnaca has become the newest member of the C2 portfolio,” said Craig Ballantyne, president of Cyprus Casinos, in a statement contained in Friday’s release. “We believe that C2 Larnaca will offer tourists and locals travelling from and to Cyprus a unique entertainment experience.”

In June 2017 the Republic of Cyprus gave a 30-year casino licence to Integrated Casino Resorts Cyprus Ltd, a consortium led by Hong Kong-listed Melco International Development Ltd, the parent company of Macau casino operator Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd. The initial single Cyprus licence allows the holder to build as many as four satellite casinos in addition to the main property.

There is already what is referred to by the promoters as an interim facility – dubbed C2 Limassol (pictured) – in the tourist city of Limassol, which was launched in June. A permanent venue is being developed in that city. The permanent Limassol property – called City of Dreams Mediterranean – is likely to open in 2021, according to previous statements of the group.

The group launched earlier this month the first of its satellite casinos in Cyprus, called C2 Nicosia, in the capital city.

Satellite casinos are also due to open at Paphos and the popular clubbers’ destination Ayia Napa in 2019, the group confirmed in Friday’s release.

“Operations of C2 Limassol will cease when the City of Dreams Mediterranean integrated casino resort is launched, while the four satellite casinos C2 will continue to operate,” it stated.