CEO BDA Hotel Assoc: Gaming Would Be Welcome
The CEO of the Bermuda Hotel Association John Harvey has come out in support of allowing gaming in Bermuda.
Thanking the government for producing the Green Paper on Gambling, Mr. Harvey stated that Bermudian hotels have faced a decade of challenges and another amenity would be welcome.
Mr. Harvey commenting:
On behalf of the Bermuda Hotel Association, I would like to thank and congratulate the Government for producing and presenting to Parliament the Green Paper on Gaming. Hotels in Bermuda have faced more than a decade of challenges and to add another amenity for hotel guest use and enjoyment that has proven to be an extra revenue earner in other jurisdictions will be welcomed by the properties that may be successful in having a gaming facility on their site. For other hotels, gaming would afford their guests the opportunity to participate in gaming should they wish to do so.
The report projected that gaming would increase hotel room demand by approximately 29%, and that only hotels that have a minimum of at least 100 rooms be allowed to have casinos.
Bermuda has technically had gambling for decades in the form of betting shops. As of 2010 there is Triple Crown Racing on Victoria Street, Seahorses on Queen Street and Gametime on Front Street. Gambling machines however, are technically illegal
Mr Harvey went on to give a specific example of revenue lost:
I was recently informed that TEGG, a company that was seriously considering one of Bermuda’s major hotels for its group meeting business, has selected the Atlantis in the Bahamas solely because that location offers gaming and Bermuda does not.
The lost business, conservatively estimated at $200,000, is a blow to Bermuda’s economy and hotel revenues.
Most important, business that goes to another destination has a negative impact on the full employment and earnings of hotel employees. For Bermuda to be competitive in an international market, we must provide what today’s guests expect, enjoy and demand.
You can view the recommendations, charts, and the entire 79 page Green Paper on Gaming here.
