Malta’s Casino di Venezia is planning major development work to boost its appeal, writes David Snook
An ambitious extension plan is under way at Malta’s Casino di Venezia that will see the glamorous location augmented by a 100-bedroom five-star hotel, which the management sees as an essential addition to attract players.
The casino is one of four on the main Maltese island and is situated at Vittoriosa, one of the ‘Three Cities’ within the towering bastions of Valletta’s Grand Harbour. More importantly, the location occupies a prime piece of real estate on The Waterfront, a section of promenade that is gradually being refurbished and a preferred lodging for the luxurious yachts that populate the Grand Harbour Marina.
Views from the restaurant at the casino take in a panorama of the magnificent millionaire’s playground represented by the leisure craft moored there and the towers and domes of the city.
The Casino di Venezia itself is a beautifully restored waterfront property built in 1530 to house the troops of the Knights of Malta and was subsequently taken over by the British and bombed during the war. The shell of the building was rebuilt into the casino in 2001 under the same ownership as Venice’s Casino di Venezia and changed hands to Vittoriosa Gaming in 2005.
Miljan Miljanic, as general manager, controls the day-to-day running of the casino and is proud of the location’s pioneering spirit which led Venezia to become one of the first land-based casinos to shoot live internet gambling facilities from its casino floor.
“Our poker room, which has over 40 tables, is one of the largest in the business and regularly runs series of tournaments, both local and international. But nearby we have another room hosting 10 live tables for internet gambling.” Players from all over the world were competing on the tables, but could also switch to two roulette or a 30-40 table, a blackjack or punto banco at any time.
The internet gambling venture began at the Venezia in 2006, way ahead of most of the world’s other land-based casinos. “We realised,” said Miljanic, “that igaming is here to stay and we had to offer it. That sector now contributes the largest single income to the casino, above the tables, above the slots. This is unusual, but demonstrates the potential which we always knew is there.”
Plans are in place to expand the online poker room and to increase the number of slots in the casino to 150. Right now slots manager Carlo Abela has 110 machines, a mix of IGT, Aristocrat, Atronic, Amatic, Bally and a Sigma multiplayer, but plans to introduce an online system and new slot machines from different suppliers or manufacturers. There are two progressives on the Aristocrats and Atronics and, unusually, they are all operated on tokens, coins and bills.]
You can read this feature in full in the December 2011 issue of InterGaming.
