Century Casinos eyes China market with cruise gaming

Jul 15, 2016 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck  

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Nasdaq-listed gaming operator Century Casinos Inc announced on Thursday the opening of a casino on board the cruise ship ‘Glory Sea’. It said the move would help the firm develop its business in the Chinese cruise market, via gaming facilities catering to VIP players.

The cruise ship is operated by Diamond Cruise International Co Ltd, a subsidiary of mainland Chinese travel company Suzhou Taihu International Travel Agency, according to the travel agency’s corporate website. The ship made this week its maiden voyage from Shanghai, in China, to Shimonoseki in Japan.

The ‘Glory Sea’ has capacity for more than 1,200 passengers, and comprises a casino that features “an initial gaming mix” of 40 slot machines and 16 live gaming tables, according to Century Casinos’ press release on Thursday.

“The casino will cater to regular cruise passengers as well as VIP players provided by junket operators,” said Century Casinos.

The cruise is set to focus on the Chinese cruise market with “four-day trips between China, South Korea and Japan,” added the Nasdaq-listed company.

“This is a very cost-effective way for our company to gain a foothold in the lucrative Chinese market and certainly has the potential to grow our ship-based casino segment to a very meaningful size,” said the co-chief executives of Century Casinos; Erwin Haitzmann and Peter Hoetzinger, in a statement accompanying the press release.

According to Century Casinos, Diamond Cruise International plans to acquire three to four new ships in the next five years in order to build its market share in the Chinese cruise business segment.

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