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One Hundred Sands has been granted a licence to operate a second casino, with Suva being hinted at as the likely location.
In December 2011 One Hundred Sands Limited, which is a subsidiary of a US company, was given permission by the Fijian Government to operate the country’s first casino. The 290 million Fiji dollars (114.29 million US dollars) casino resort and convention centre is located in Denarau Island.
When he made the announcement in December, Prime Minister Bainimarama said the government chose One Hundred Sands Limited because of its strong affiliation with native American culture which provided a malleable fusion between the Western ideals of casino gaming with the strong cultural values of tribal and community life.
Announcing the approval of the second Casino, the Permanent Secretary for Public Enterprises, Tourism and Communication, Elizabeth Powell, said people needed to take things in perspective and realise that gambling had been in existence in the country in one form or another for decades.
“Lets be realistic. Gaming in Fiji is already widespread we’ve got lotto, scratchies, bingo and sports betting people have been gambling for some time but in an unregulated manner,” she said.
“With the introduction of the casino, we will see the establishment of controls via the Fijian Gaming Commission Control Board. This means that for the first time we will monitor and control all forms of legalised gambling in the country not just the casino alone,” Powell said.
A Fijian tourism official has highlighted the important role to be played by the multi-million dollar casino in the tourism industry, saying it will bring about a new market segment in the economic sector.
Dixon Seeto, President of the Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association, said the casino resort which includes a 1,500 seat capacity convention center will be able to cater for large conferences which no other hotels or resorts could cater for in Fiji at the moment.
He added apart from just being a casino, it has major benefits for the whole tourism industry and economy a driving force in the state’s revenue, while the tourism industry continues to play an important role in Fiji’s economic development, contributing significantly to income and employment generation both directly and indirectly.
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News category: Asia Pacific.
