Maltese casinos on alert as Italy gears up to open more casinos
Charlot Zahra
The push towards the opening of new casinos in Italy, especially in the south, was being watched with great attention, not only in Italy but also in Malta, where thousands of Sicilians flock to the four licensed casinos on the island, according to Italian media reports.
Gianfanco Scordato, Director-General of Portomaso Casino, was quoted as saying: “If this reality had to materialise, we would not face it with the terror of defeat!
“My direct experience in Switzerland, where I worked at the Campione Casino, has led me to ascertain that a large concentration of casinos’ in the territory did not lead to those effects usually associated with a generalised crisis but rather to a positive polarisation with its associated spin-off effects which were clearly visible to everybody”, including the Swiss authorities’ coffers.
Scordato said that the new Sicilian competition would surely need to changes in the company’s strategy. However, in his view, a new casino in Taormina “will not be able to satisfy all the demand which is, not only for betting but also for entertainment, relax and feel-good factor, escape from everyday life.
“It would be stupid to think of the Taormina Casino as catering only for Catania; from here we have already extended our catchment area to the whole Mediterranean basin, which for different reasons has been less exposed to the financial tempests that continental Europe has faced and would be facing in the near future.
Scordato explained that nowadays, casinos were business structures that to be successful have to cope with ever-increasing competency, flexibility, adaptability to quick changes, the ability to interpret new trends and target audiences.
“I am ready to bet that Malta, small in size but having a large flexibility in its management structures, which are always targeted towards business and achieving clear and objective results, would have all the cards to play if it had to face strong competition from Italian casinos,” the Portomaso Casino boss insisted.
