Andorra extends deadline for considering casinos’ appeal

The government of Andorra has furthered the deadline for persusing the appeal, submitted collectively by Genting, Grupo CIRSA, Casinos Austria, and Partouche France, against the government decision to allot its first casino license to regional operator Jocs SA.

The government will offer two extension periods for the process, which is the legal maximum permitted in such cases. November 27 is the deadline.

Prime Minister Antoni Marti attributed high volume of documentation for the extension.

The complainants fear that the license could be legally awarded once the deadline has passed regardless of whether the government has ruled on the appeal.

Legal issues have been brewing in Andorra for some time now, with four of the 12 rejected participants in the frenetic bidding for the country’s only casino license contending that there were irregularities in the approval process.

They have further intimated that they have evidence that the awarded party, Jocs SA, has at least four key operational and resource-based requirements for the role which it cannot fulfil.

According to reports, the four complaining parties have requested that the government temporarily suspend Jocs SA’s license.

The protesting companies are arguing that the Andorran government have a political responsibility to make the best license award both for the country’s benefit and to attract potential international investors. The bid put forward by Jocs SA was reportedly an order of magnitude lower than some of the other reported bids. The suspension has therefore been requested in defence of the general interest.

Should their license ultimately be upheld, Jocs SA plans to run the casino in partnership with Novomatic Group.

Source: CDCGamingReports