GGRAsia – Melco unit casino ops pause in Cyprus extended to end April

Melco unit casino ops pause in Cyprus extended to end April

Apr 15, 2020 Newsdesk Latest News, Top of the deck, World

Cyprus Casinos’ gaming operations in the Republic of Cyprus will remain shut until the end of April, a spokesperson on behalf of the group confirmed to GGRAsia. The decision is part of measures to contain the further spread of the Covid-19 pandemic in that country.

Cyprus Casinos (C2) is controlled by ICR Cyprus Holdings Ltd, a joint venture by gaming entrepreneur Lawrence Ho Yau Lung’s Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd and Cyprus Phassouri (Zakaki) Ltd, a Cyprus-based conglomerate. The venture has a 30-year exclusive licence to run casinos in Cyprus.

The President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, last week extended a lockdown that had originally been due to run until April 13. The cabinet decided to “extend all measures and decrees until April 30,” Mr Anastasiades outlined in a statement.

A spokesperson for Melco Resorts said in an emailed statement to GGRAsia: “C2 [operations] will remain closed until end April.” Any eventual change to that deadline would depend on further announcements from the Cypriot government, the person added.

Cyprus Casinos had previously announced that its gaming venues in the country were temporarily closed for a four-week period, starting on March 16. The measure was said to be “in compliance” with the government’s guidelines “to suspend operations of certain private business including casinos, which tend to attract larger groups of individuals”.

The group currently operates four licensed satellite casinos – called respectively Cyprus Casinos Paphos (C2 Paphos), C2 Ayia Napa, C2 Nicosia and C2 Larnaca – and a C2 Limassol, described as the temporary main casino property in that market. The current Cyprus Casinos operation is to be supplemented by the launch of a large casino resort, to be called City of Dreams Mediterranean.

That complex is being built in Limassol, a city on Cyprus’ south coast, and is due to be finished in 2021. The venture has said operation of the temporary venue C2 Limassol will cease when City of Dreams Mediterranean is launched.

Cyprus had recorded 29 new cases of Covid-19 infection as of Tuesday, taking the total to 695 cases, according to the Cyprus News Agency.

The Cypriot government has also imposed a curfew to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The country took measures early to prevent the spread of Covid-19, partially sealing its borders on March 14, and then extended the shutdown to all air links effective March 21.