“The St. Regis Hotel is a valuable addition to Bermuda’s tourism product and the Government enjoys a constructive working relationship with the owners,” said the Minister of Tourism, Vance Campbell following a meeting with the hotel’s owners and a representative of their proposed casino operator on Friday.
Minister Campbell said, “The St. Regis team had met earlier that day with the Bermuda Gaming Commission and in addition to an overview of that discussion, it was an opportunity to hear from them on the hotel’s operations and some additional thoughts on the coming season.”
Premier David Burt was also in the meeting and said, “I continue to be impressed by the commitment of St. Regis to introducing a casino at the hotel and our discussion examined legislative and practical ways to achieve that shared goal. The idle and irresponsible media speculation around gaming has failed to change the owner’s positive outlook for a casino at the property.”
A Government spokesperson confirmed that the day’s meetings were described as “frank and extremely useful”.
The Premier concluded, “It is ridiculous to suggest that the Government has not invested time and effort into achieving gaming for Bermuda. We have met with banks, worked with hoteliers, responding positively to the economic realities of the pandemic, compounded by the delays in gaming licensing, and conferred with the Commission’s executive team on striking the necessary balance between encouraging gaming and doing so with an appropriate regulatory regime. In all this we have been determined to understand and act on issues that have delayed gaming for Bermuda. With the renewed commitment to a casino we heard from St. Regis and their casino operator, those efforts will continue as we collaborate with all parties to deliver on this economic imperative for Bermuda.”