George Fenech’s special concessions from Gaming Authority
Matthew Vella
Tonio Fenech’s private trip with George Fenech, who is tendering for a 10-year concession for the Dragonara Casino in St Julian’s, has raised questions about the relations between Tomino Ltd – George Fenech’s casino company – and the Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LGA).
MaltaToday can confirm that the 10-year concession for Fenech’s Oracle casino in Qawra was never re-issued for tender back in 2008.
The concession was for a hotel-based casino licence, which attracted the interest of several hoteliers. Since Tomino Ltd also owned the licence for the Portomaso casino, awarded for 10 years in 2006, MaltaToday is informed that the LGA allowed the Portomaso casino to be declared an “annex” of the Oracle casino.
This effectively allowed one casino licence to cover both operations at the Oracle and the Portomaso casinos.
Additionally, the LGA amended its policy by increasing the ratio of Video Lottery Terminals (payout games, such as slot machines) to table games from 10:1, to 15:1. This allowed all casino licensees, to increase the number of gambling machines on their floors.
And only last August, the LGA refuted accusations of a conflict of interest, after MaltaToday revealed that the authority had rented its new offices from the Tumas Group.
Back in August, just as the Dragonara Casino tender process was entering its preliminary stages, MaltaToday revealed that the LGA would be renting new offices at the Tumas Group’s TG Complex in Mriehel.
The gaming watchdog defended its choice to rent the office space from a casino licensee, despite having never publicized the fact that it was moving out of its offices in Ta’ Xbiex. In fact, it was through a tender the LGA issued for new office furniture, containing the architects’ plans of its office site, that the new address was made public.
The rental contract was arrived at following a public call for tender, which the LGA says carries a lease value per square metre-squared that is lower than the existing lease cost per square metre paid today by the authority.
The LGA defended itself from questions put to it over whether the rental had opened the gaming regulator to a potential conflict of interest, saying the selection was a result of an impartial public competitive bid.
The arrangement also carried the authorisation of the Finance Ministry.
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