Bloomberry Resorts Corp. of bilyonaryo Enrique K. Razon has been shortlisted to bid for the construction and operation of a first ever integrated casino resort in southern Cyprus.
The Razon-owned casino firm joins two other firms — Nagacorp of Cambodia and the Melco Crown-Hardrock Resort Cyprus consortium ? in proceeding with the final stage where a complete detailed proposal is to be submitted, the government of Cyprus said.
The three were chosen from the original list of eight interested applicants based on their experience in building and operating successful casino resorts.
The winning bidder will receive a license for 30 years with an exclusivity period for the first 15 years, and will get to pick where to build the lone casino project. The license is expected to be awarded by September with the casino resort targeted for opening by 2018.
The project, which must have at least 500 luxury hotel rooms, 1,000 gaming machines, and 100 gaming tables, is being fast-tracked to attract more tourists, create job opportutnies, and perk up the island?s economy.
Bloomberry operates Solaire Resort Casino, the first to open in the 100-hectare Pagcor Entertainment City, a Las Vegas-like development. It has expanded abroad with the re-opening of a casino on South Korea?s Jeju island. The casino features 203 well-appointed rooms and suites, 2,125 square meters of gaming space, and various dining options.
The company earlier formed a new subsidiary in its bid to establish a casino resort in Argentina.
Bloomberry has been looking overseas to grow its business. It is also eyeing Japan and Taiwan as potential sites for its overseas expansion once gambling is legalized.
