Gozo hotel had permission for casino eight years ago

A casino operation concession granted to a five-star resort in Gozo in 2004 was never taken up because an operator was not found, it emerged yesterday. Following the Prime Minister’s announcement that a licence for a first casino in Gozo was issued last week, San Lawrenz Leisure Resort Ltd – which owns the San Lawrenz Kempinski Hotel – told The Times that nine years ago the hotel was given a “letter of intent”. This would have allowed them to apply for a casino licence had they affiliated themselves with the right operator. The letter of intent dated March 9, 2004, was signed by then Finance Minister John Dalli. It expired in 2006. San Lawrenz resort director Dorothy Baldacchino said: “We already had the building in place for a casino and that is why we reached a concession agreement with the Government.” Without a letter of intent it would not have been possible to start negotiations with any operator. No casino provider was found so San Lawrenz resort never applied for a licence. “However, even though the letter of intent expired, we never ceased looking for the right operator – and the company is still interested in obtaining a casino licence,” Ms Baldacchino said. The market...