Melco opens satellite casino in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, a second such facility to be launched at Larnaca International Airport later this month
The first legal casino in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, has just opened its doors as part of a larger development scheme led by Hong Kong gaming and hospitality giant Melco Resorts & Entertainment, local news outlets reported today.
Cyprus Casinos Nicosia (C2 Nicosia) is being launched just under six months after a larger casino swung its doors open in Limassol. The Limassol facility will act as a temporary casino, while the main gaming floor, part of a €550-million integrated resort, is under development not far from the temporary location.
Under Melco’s development plan and the terms of its license from Cypriot gaming regulators, as many as four satellite casinos are to open doors in the next few months. Cyprus Casinos Nicosia (C2 Nicosia) is the first such facility. A satellite casino will also launch at Larnaca International Airport later this month. Ayia Napa and Paphos will, too, host such facilities, but Melco is yet to announce exact opening dates.
C2 Nicosia occupies a 970-square-meter site on Neas Engomis Street No. 35 in the Cypriot capital. The facility features five gaming tables and 50 slot machines as well as a Columbia Bistro restaurant and bar. The satellite casino boasts a similar interior as the Limassol one.
C2 Nicosia is open from 3 pm until 6 am Monday to Friday and 24 hours during weekends and on public holidays. Visitors must be aged 21 or over in order to be admitted to the casino floor.
As revealed by Melco, 100 people have been hired at the Nicosia facility, which brings the total temporary jobs created by the company in Cyprus to 700.
City of Dreams Mediterranean President Craig Ballantyne said that he is pleased to see the new addition to the portfolio of C2 properties and that the casino brand will “significantly contribute to the efforts of the Cypriot government to combat illegal gaming.”
A Must-See Destination
Melco held a soft opening of its temporary casino in Limassol in June and an official opening in September. As mentioned earlier, the facility will remain operational until the main resort with a larger permanent casino opens doors in 2021.
According to information from Melco, C2 Limassol welcomed 175,000 individual visitors during its first three months of operation. Of that figure, Mr. Ballantyne said that the casino has turned into a “must-see destination for locals and tourists alike” and that its performance during its first three months exceeded expectations.
City of Dreams Mediterranean, as the whole integrated resort will be called, aims to help Cyprus combat seasonality. At present, the island nation has its peak of international visitors during summer months, but has been looking to change that through a series of major development projects and other initiatives that are hoped to attract tourists all year round.
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