Bermuda’s first casino resort nears licensing approval

The initial window for licence applications commenced in April this year and closed on 21 July, with licensees having to comply with the Bermuda Casino Gaming Act 2014. Under Bermudan gaming law, up to three provisional licences can be issued to interested developers.

Hamilton was among the first hotels in Bermuda to be granted “designated status” last year, making it eligible to apply.

In an interview with Bermuda’s Royal Gazette newspaper, Alan Dunch, the chairman of the BCGC called the licence application a “landmark event”.

He added: “We feel that this is an important step towards realising the public policy goals of the Casino Act, by increasing employment and investment in Bermuda, as well as enhancing the tourism product.”

Applicants are required to pay an initial fee of $600,000 in order to bid, with those being approved for provisional licences having to pay a further $1.4m. Companies which receive full licences are then required to pay a final issue fee of $1m.

A provisional casino licence has previously been granted to the nearby St George’s Resort project, however the resort is still under construction, having been only approved in January.

Sources at the BCGC have confirmed that the licence application by the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club will be reviewed at a public meeting on 22 September at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute and the resorts developers, and that further details will be revealed in the next few weeks.

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Robert Simmons

Gambling Writer

Robert Simmons served as a writer for Gambling Insider, where he was an active contributor from 2017 until 2018. Throughout his tenure, Robert executed in-depth market research and wrote over 500 news and press-release articles covering the global gambling industry under strict editorial standards and tight deadlines. He contributed editorial support to the production of five 100+ page Gambling Insider magazines, eight 25+ page Trafficology magazines, and five 25+ page special print focus editions. In addition, he produced 30 in-depth feature articles for print, secured over 30 contributions from external writers, and built long-standing professional relationships with industry stakeholders across all levels of the gambling sector.

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