The good news for this year is that we are hoping to spend more time in our beautiful region visiting new and existing properties. I expect that we’ll be coming in and out of Chile, as the new casinos open there, and will definitely be visiting the new casinos in Miraflores, Maracaibo and all through Colombia, also.
A good friend of ours has also told us to book ourselves for an Aruba date, and of course, we’ll be so pleased to meet you during the event dates in Bogota, Panama, Lima, Buenos Aires or wherever we are invited. We just have to report directly to you on all the latest news on this exciting gaming business!
Cheers,

Ricki.


THREE NEW GAMING LICENSES IN CHILE
Under the gaming laws of Chile, the region of Arica y Parinacota is authorized to license an unlimited number of casinos, being regarded as a special case. The other regions may license no more than three casinos, which must be at least 70 kilometres apart. During the first week in January, Proceso 2008 was announced by the Chilean gaming authority (SCJ) to receive applications for three more casino licences.
Chile’s new gaming law has already granted licences to 15 integrated casino projects around the country, some of which are scheduled to open later this year. Now companies can apply for one of the three new licences on offer. The regions of Valparaiso and Bio Bio will not be considered as they already have three casinos apiece under construction. Ten regions will be able to compete for the licences although only one, Aisen, has no casino licence.
Five regions have been granted one casino licence under the first round; five others already have two projects underway. There will be no legal casinos in the Santiago region that holds Chile’s capital city. According to the SCJ, the application deadline for the three licences will be Friday 29 February. Then follow three stages of evaluation and legal process that will end on 29 August 2008.

MONTEVIDEO CASINO CONCESSION TENDER
During the first week in January, the Montevideo local government started the tender process to for the concession for the flagship Hotel Casino Carrasco to the private sector. Prospective investors now have four months to present their projects for evaluation. At the end of last December, a law was passed that allows the operation of the Carrasco casino to be passed into private hands.
The terms of the tender and the regulations for the operation of Casino Carrasco over the next 30 years are established by the Ministry of Economics and the Central Bank of Uruguay. Because of the failure of the last casino administration, the Municipality will create a special account for depositing gaming revenue from the concession that will be used to improve the shanty towns.
The Hotel Casino Carrasco was opened in 1921 on a prime oceanfront site some 30 kilometres from the centre of Montevideo. It originally had a large casino in the European style of the time, plus banqueting halls and indoor and outdoor terraces.
The hotel is just eight kilometres from Montevideo’s airport and the casino concession is already attracting interest from foreign investors and operators. The property, because of its ocean views and location in an excellent neighbourhood, lends itself to becoming a high class casino resort.

CRIMINAL CHARGES AGAINST MEXICO CASINO MINISTER
Mexico's Federal Gaming and Lottery Act of 1947 does not allow casino or slots gambling in the country. Although it is an outdated piece of legislation, ex-Minister of State Santiago Creel and ex-President Fox approved Regulations to the law in 2005, placing the industry in Mexico in utter chaos as Creel also approved off-track and remote gaming licenses to a few companies, including the mighty Latin American giant Televisa that funds political campaigns.
As head of the State Department (Secretaria de Gobernacion, locally known as Segob) the Secretary is in charge of the Gaming Commission and has been granting gaming licenses left right and centre to businesses operating slot machine gambling. Earlier in the year, the auditing commission in Mexico's House of Representatives asked the Segob for a full account of all the gaming licenses issued and the procedures used in the process, which Segob quashed aided by a Supreme Court decision.
In view of this, Ernesto Cerda Serna, leader of political group Convergencia filed criminal charges las January at the Attorney General's Office against Roberto Correa Mendez, Gaming Commission director at Segob and Adalberto Madero Quiroga, Mayor of Monterrey City, where illegal casinos have mushroomed during the past two years. Cerda Serna has named numerous gaming establishments, which according to his investigation do not have a gaming licence to operate.
The Convergencia leader said that one of his investigation units, posing as casino operators, was asked to pay US$2.6 million for a casino licence in Monterrey, and accuses both the mayor and the Segob official of criminal offences. Cerda Serna added that his party is in favour of gambling, but licensing must be according to the law, and a casino law should be approved immediately to stop political parties from cashing in on gaming licences to finance their TV campaigns.

FADJA CONCLUDES SUCCESSFUL TOUR OF PERU
Operators, manufacturers and distributors have confirmed their presence at FADJA’s big celebration of its milestone ten years as an important Latin American gaming event. A total of ten companies located in Peru and two associations of operators were visited during the first week of December by Jose Anibal Aguirre, FADJA’s managing director. From Lima he announced the attendance of the Peruvian gaming industry leaders at the Andean Gaming Trade Show that takes place in Bogotá on 2 and 3 April 2008.
Aguirre said: “Two local gaming associations: SONAJA and APEJA have accepted the invitation that we brought from the Colombian Federation of Games of Chance Industrialists (FECEAZAR), and from ETESA, Colombia’s regulatory agency, to join the other gaming institutions at the expo to endorse government and non-government initiatives.” The institutions will take part in the Second International Gaming Congress that will run simultaneously with FADJA 2008.
In Lima the FADJA executives also visited Manuel San Roman, Peru’s Gaming Commission Chief at the ministry of Trade and Tourism, and extended the invitation of Mery Luz Londoño, the ETESA president, to meet during FADJA 2008 and exchange views to support both institutions regarding the new technological developments in the industry.
Aguirre concluded: “During the next few months we will be visiting each country in the Latin American region to guarantee our exhibitors the attendance of important regional buyers to Colombia, a country that has been experiencing a marked improvement in its operations, and a great deal of local and foreign investment.”

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