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Austria – Casinos Austria decides not to sell improving international casino division

By - 19 April 2018

Casinos Austria has taken the decision not to sell its international division, Casinos Austria International, citing an improved performance as the main reason why.

It has hinted though that some loss-making operations where fortunes cannot be revived will be ‘rejected’ presumably meaning they will either be sold or closed.

Speaking to Austrian magazine Trend, CEO Alexander Labak said categorically: “We have made the decision not to sell the CAI. We have analysed the situation and decided that we should keep CAI but unlike in the past, where little care has been taken operatively. Now the foreign casinos are divided into three clusters. Wherever we are in control, we will be more involved, including cooperations with the Austrian casinos. A second group will continue as a financial investment. A third group, for which no positive result can be expected in the longer term, is being rejected.”

Its last set of annual figures revenues rose by 5.9 per cent to €134m across its 33 international casinos with Germany, Belgium and Canada highlighted as having contributed well. The international arm of Casinos Austria operates 26 land-based casinos in Czech, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Hungary, Lichtenstein and Switzerland as well as a VLT operation in Macedonia and casinos on four ultra-luxury liners in the Silversea Cruises fleet.

Domestically, operating results for the company’s 12 casinos in Austria fell from €30m to €19m with Mr Labak stressing a plan is in place to improve the sector’s return.

“There will be a campaign in the Autumn to refresh the brand,” he said. “We will also bring the casinos online for the first time, which is an important strategic move. Our party games, where young guests with low stakes can play from two euros, have started successfully. And we will improve our customer relationship management because, for example, about 200,000 new guests will come back a second time within a year.”

One of the company’s underperforming casinos is the Reef Casino in Cairns where revenue has fallen five per cent to A$5.6m.

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