Melco Resorts & Entertainment, through its Cyprus Casinos (C2) brand, now has a third satellite casino on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. According to media outlet In-Cyprus, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held yesterday and the launch of the new venue brings to three the number of satellite casinos now open in the country. The other two are located in Larnaca and Nicosia.
The new facility is located in Ayia Napa and its opening comes following the first anniversary in June of a temporary casino in Limassol. That venue is also owned by C2, which has been awarded the only license in the country to operate casinos.
The Ayia Napa property measures around 3,950 square feet and sits on a plot measuring over 148,854 square feet. It offers 50 slot machines, onsite parking and a bar and is open daily from 3 p.m. to 6 a.m. The casino provides jobs to over 40 local residents.
The president of C2 and City of Dreams Mediterranean (CODM), Craig Ballantyne, expressed his enthusiasm for the new location, stating, “We are confident that C2 Ayia Napa will help to enhance the city’s tourist product and significantly contribute to the sustainable growth of the local and island’s economy.”
He added, “At the same time, the casino will offer an exceptional entertainment experience for both local and foreign guests.”
CODM is a massive integrated resort (IR) being built on the island by C2. Construction began this past April and is expected to be completed before the end of 2021. It had previously been expected to open sometime during the summer of that year.
With Larnaca, Nicosia and Limassol now in full swing, the three venues have received a total of almost 880,000 patrons. By this August, C2 will have received over a million visitors, according to a company statement from earlier this month.
Another satellite casino is still in the works for C2. Cyprus has given the company permission to open a total of four venues, and the last is expected to open later this year in Paphos.
Earlier this month, Melco was presented with an award at the 8th Invest Cyprus International Investment Awards for the work it is doing to boost the local economy. Lawrence Ho, the company’s chairman and CEO, said at the time that Cyprus has “tremendous economic potential and is now firmly on the radar of international investors.”
