
British horse race has gotten a boost from the European Commission, which on Friday gave full approval on the UK government’s reforms regarding the sport’s main funding system.
UK recreations minister Tracey Crouch believes the levy that is new make sure gambling reforms pay a fair return to support horse race, but the bookies argue they currently support it through sponsorship deals.
All bookmakers will be required to pay a ten percent levy on all gross profits derived from betting on British horse racing above a $500,000 ($640,000) threshold under the new system.
Under the system that is previous which has been in existence since 1961, only betting organizations based in britain had been required to contribute to funding, but now the levy will affect all companies that offer wagers on British racing, including including on- and off-course bookmakers, betting exchanges and spread betting companies.
The vast majority of wagering websites, also myfreepokies.com those owned by British household-name brands like Ladbrokes and William Hill, are based offshore.
‘This move will help secure the future of horse racing in Britain by making yes that gambling firms pay a fair go back to support the sport,’ said sports minister Tracey Crouch, whose department is behind the reforms.
‘Horse racing possesses heritage that is strong this country, employing a huge number of people and it is enjoyed by many almost every day of the entire year. This new approach to the Horserace Betting Levy may help sustain and develop the activity.’
Long-lasting Certainty
The horse industry that is racing the latest levy will help produce a stable long-term funding process for the sport. BHA leader Nick Rust said that it will allow racing to secure ‘a reasonable return’ from wagering businesses.
The new deal will improve reward money and provide extra funding for everything from racing integrity to equine welfare and veterinary science.
‘We look forward to working closely with bookmakers to build an exciting future for both our industries,’ Rust said.
‘ The brand new levy has the potential to put an end to unnecessary divisions between race and betting as it makes a level playing field, removes the need for annual negotiations on the price and provides long-term certainty for both events.’
Dissenting Voices
But the industry that is betting which lobbied for a lower levy, states it already contributes handsomely to your racing industry through sponsorship deals.
It’s also resents the old Levy Board, on which it had representation, will be replaced by a racing that is new, on which it currently has none.
‘As one of the major contributors to the levy we would hope that multichannel representation that is betting form component of any new distribution human body,’ stated William Hill’s Ciaran O’Brien.
‘It certainly makes sense for both industries with an input into how a funds are invested, otherwise this move represents an increase in taxation alongside an elimination of representation.’
Melco-Hard Rock’s Cyprus Casino Awaits Lift Off, Full Approval Imminent
A Melco-Hard Rock consortium is set to bring casinos to your Republic of Cyprus.
On Friday, Cyprus’ Tourism Minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis announced the assessment process was complete, and, pending ratification by the nation’s cabinet, work will soon begin on the construction of a $550 million ‘Euro Casino’ resort within the town of Limassol.
An artist’s rendering associated with the Republic of Cyprus’ first casino resort, a joint effort between Melco International developing and Hard Rock Resorts, to be finished in 2020. (Image: Melco-Hard Rock)
It will be the republic’s very first, but not the island’s. Since Turkey invaded the north in 1974, Cyprus has been divided into north and south, ethnically and politically Turkish and Greek, respectively, separated by a United Nations buffer zone.
There are several dozen casinos and gaming halls in the north, as well as within the buffer zone itself, but casino gaming is brand new territory for the south.
Secret Bidding Process
The republic enacted a bill to legalize casino video gaming in 2015, producing one permit to operate a casino that is single and lots of smaller satellite casinos. As a major tourist that is european, competition was fierce, and the tender procedure curiously secretive.
The likes of Nagacorp, Boomberry, Genting, Caesars and Sun International were also in the running while the Cypriot government kept the names of bidders under wraps, it’s believed that, along with Hard Rock and Melco.
The consortium has said it expects to secure a 30-year certification agreement that will allow it to operate a casino monopoly in the republic for the first 15 years.
It hopes to open a temporary casino in Limassol in October 2017, while the work begins on the Euro Casino resort, which can be scheduled to start in 2020. The finished Euro Casino will boast 500 luxury resort rooms as well as least 100 gaming tables and 1,000 slots.
Network of Gaming Venues to Follow
The consortium says that will the casino that is temporary Limassol prove effective, it’s going to consider starting a ‘network of gambling premises,’ including a casino in the divided capital city of Nicosia, supported by slot parlors in Paphos, Larnaca and Famagusta.
Lakkotrypis made the statement through the island’s tourism and travel event, Taxidi 2017, as he discussed planned improvements to the nation’s tourism and travel sector.
A record quantity of site visitors are required this summer and he admitted investment in infrastructure was needed to avoid some of the airport delays witnessed final year.
‘ Our goal that is ultimate well-thought-out, coordinated actions, is to enhance the quality and diversify our tourism product,’ he said. ‘To this end, we continue steadily to enrich our experience, for example by promoting opportunities in major jobs such as golf courses, marinas and also the integrated casino resort.’
Elvis Memorabilia Retained by Westgate Nevada Despite Lawsuit From Icon’s Estate
The Elvis memorabilia that has been section of an exhibit at the Westgate Las Vegas Resort isn’t being came back to the late icon’s estate in Memphis, Tennessee.
The former ‘Graceland Presents Elvis’ memorabilia inside the Westgate remains locked up in the resort despite the exhibit’s closure more than a ago year. (Image: Westgate Las Vegas)
‘Graceland gifts Elvis’ was a short-lived attraction inside the former International Hotel, an off-strip resort that hosted a huge selection of performances by the legend. The exhibit opened in April of 2015, and closed the next February.
The 28,000-square-foot exhibit provided visitors the possiblity to view 350 pieces of Elvis memorabilia, the largest collection outside of Graceland. The artifacts included stage outfits, jewelry, letters, guitars, and other relics that were loaned to the casino from his estate in Tennessee.
However with the exhibit defectively attended, Elvis Presley Enterprises threatened to abandon its lease that is 10-year agreement than the usual year after opening. Westgate, which claimed to own invested over $9 million in planning the space for the spectacle, subsequently closed the attraction and locked the memorabilia as ransom.
Despite a lawsuit filed in March of 2016 that wanted for the items to be returned, the Westgate has maintained their possession. ‘Everything is safe,’ Westgate COO Mark Waltrip said after ‘Graceland Presents’ shut.
While public address announcers frequently had to share with fans hoping for an encore that ‘Elvis has left the building,’ his memorabilia isn’t quite so fast to create an exit.
Do Not ‘Get Back to Sender’
The Elvis’ estate wanted to cancel the exhibit and bring the relics back to Tennessee after admission numbers failed to meet expectations, with both sides citing poor marketing and promotional efforts as the primary reason.
The arrangement between the Westgate and Elvis Presley Enterprises switched bitter when the resort effectively petitioned Las Vegas into renaming Riviera Boulevard to Elvis Presley Way. The street connects Las Vegas Boulevard with Paradise Road where the Westgate sits eastern of the Strip. The famed Riv closed in 2015 and was demolished year that is last.
Elvis’ estate didn’t want his likeness on a street name, especially one that might aid the Westgate in attracting people to its resort.
Last springtime, a judge stated Elvis Presley Enterprises could upload a $9 million bond to recover its items. Rather, the estate and Westgate made a decision to take the case to arbitration. A mediator is expected to issue a resolution in the coming days.
Viva Elvis Presley
Following a hiatus that is seven-year performing live in favor of making Hollywood films, most of which had been decried by experts, one exclusion being ‘Viva Las vegas, nevada,’ Elvis Presley returned to Nevada for the residency at the newly opened International Hotel in July of 1969.
Built by the late Kirk Kerkorian, Elvis performed 58 consecutive sold out shows, and lived in the resort’s penthouse suite on the floor that is 30th. He would go on to play hundreds of concerts at the International, and was scheduled to come back in 1978 before their untimely death.
Aside from the namesake that is nearby, Elvis’ presence today during the Westgate is basically nonexistent. It appears the resort has interest that is little continuing to celebrate The King. The expected conclusion to the memorabilia situation are his estate paying Westgate for those items as a swap for the termination of the lease agreement.
Graceland, Elvis’ mansion in Memphis, is the second-most visited house in America behind just the White House.
Niagara Fallsview Casino Theatre Proposal Would Block Views of Falls
The Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort puts slots and table games simply actions from the absolute most famous falls in North America, but a proposed 5,000-seat theatre being considered by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission (OLG) is being panned by city officials and neighboring hotels.
The Niagara Fallsview Casino complex into the distance might soon hoist a brand new theatre adjacent to its tower, and which has hotels behind the resort upset over sight lines to your falls. (Image: Niagara Fallsview Casino)
Owned by the OLG, the Niagara Fallsview Casino sits just north of the iconic tourist location on the side that is canadian. The $1 billion complex, opened in 2004, is very prominent features of the Horseshoe Falls skyline.
Though Niagara Fallsview has one tall tower, the remainder complex is relatively short in stature, at just a few floors high. That’s to permit the hotels that are numerous the casino to also have views of the falls.
But Niagara Fallsview’s 1,500-seat theatre is no longer adequate to house A-list talent, and OLG is readying to build a space that is 5,000-seat. Three locations are being considered, one being together with the bus terminal that acts the Niagara Fallsview complex.
Niagara Falls officials including Mayor Jim Diodati are opposing the bus terminal location. The city states ‘the loss of rooms with views for the falls could have a monetary effect on hotel income, and maybe value and evaluation that has a visible impact regarding the municipal tax base. in a report’
OLG Exempt From Rules
The waterfront area of Niagara Falls is subjected to development rules that stipulate how high buildings could be constructed in certain specific areas. Whenever hotels behind the casino complex had been erected, these people were built with all the understanding that their views would remain unimpeded.
Nevertheless the OLG, a government entity of this Ontario province, isn’t at the mercy of regional zoning rules. OLG did, however, enter into a Development Agreement with Niagara Falls ‘in principle,’ and agreed not to build higher than certain heights.
‘Tourism invested billions of dollars centered on an understanding of . . . where the sight lines were going to be,’ Diodati told the Niagara Falls Review. ‘ They took a large amount of risk in good faith.’
Two privately owned land parcels may also be being considered by the OLG for the theatre. All three bids are being privately funded in exchange for the right to operate the concert and music facility.
The gaming regulator is expected to make its decision on the winning proposal month that is next.
Casinos Bet on Entertainment
Casino resorts across america and North America are targeting millennials by reserving hipper concert acts. That’s resulted in a need for bigger entertainment spaces, and video gaming operators are betting big on new facilities.
The OLG additionally owns Casino Niagara just a mile north in addition to Fallsview. Casino Niagara is an adult resort that dates back to 1996, and doesn’t feature concert space. But directly across the Niagara River on the US side, the Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino, owned by the Seneca country of Indians, features a 2,400-seat events center and more intimate theater that is 440-seat.