Supplier News
Gibraltar – PAF teams up with Sunborn for Gibraltar superyacht casino
By Phil - 26 January 2015
The Åland-based gaming company Paf and the Finnish hotel company Sunborn are in the process of opening an international casino on board the floating five-star superyacht Sunborn Hotel in Gibraltar.
The casino, to be named Casino Sunborn, will offer visitors over 60 slot machines, four roulette tables and four card tables. Subject to the granting of a licence and regulatory approval, the planned opening date is in April.
The casino is a joint proposal between Paf and Sunborn and will be located aboard the 142-metre-long seven-story-high Sunborn Hotel superyacht in Ocean Village Marina in downtown Gibraltar.
In addition to the international Casino Sunborn and 189 five-star hotel guest rooms, the Sunborn Hotel in Gibraltar also offers a range of high-class restaurants and bars, an exclusive spa and pool area, a modern conference centre and a superb sundeck.
Anders Ingves, CEO of Paf, said: “The opening of the Casino Sunborn in Gibraltar with Sunborn signifies that Paf’s land-based activities are now taking a big and exciting step into Europe, just like Paf.com online. The casino will also be a good base for creating synergies with our internet-based business. Our hope is that Paf’s nearly 50-year experience in the gaming industry combined with Sunborn’s knowledge of the international hotel industry will contribute to a unique casino experience for visitors.”
Recruitment for the Gibraltar Casino Sunborn will commence with croupiers, managers, cashiers and security staff being employed.
“Sunborn have an excellent partner in Paf for the casino development. As two well established Finnish-based companies we have a strong platform to establish an international casino business in Gibraltar. There is excellent potential for this and other future casino investments for Sunborn in Gibraltar and on board other future yacht hotels”, says Hans Niemi, Executive Director of Sunborn.
Sunborn is a privately-owned Finnish company with over 40 years experience in the hotel and hospitality business. Internationally, the Sunborn Group has 1000 employees and an extensive property portfolio which includes spa hotels, restaurants, yacht hotels and residential developments. Sunborn pioneered the floating hotel concept and specialises in designing, constructing and managing hotel projects around the world.
Paf was founded on Åland in 1966 with the clear purpose of creating profit to support public good. This purpose is still the principal reason for Paf’s existence. Today Paf is an international company with nearly 400 employees and offices in Mariehamn, Helsinki, Stockholm, Tallinn, Madrid and Milan. Paf also maintains a large physical gaming operation on land and sea with about 1,300 slot machines and 40 gaming tables on 25 ships in the Baltic Sea and Paf Casino on Åland.
The Casino Sunborn is subject to licensing and regulatory approval from the Gibraltar Licensing Authority.
