The government of Cabo Verde is seeking to grant a 25-year concession for the operation of a casino in the São Vicente Gambling Zone. The casino will be the third following the opening of Casino Royal in Sal island in 2016 and the planned Macau Legend in Praia, the capital of Cabo Verde on Santiago Island.
The latter is the brainchild of Macao investor David Chow and has run into construction delays blamed on the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new tender will be open for 60 days, according to a decree by President José Maria das Neves published this week. Besides a casino, the winning bidder must undertake to support the promotion of activities of a touristic, social, cultural and sporting nature.
French businessman Jacques Monnier, who operates Casino Royal, last year proposed the construction of a casino at Mindelo on São Vicente island, offering to create scores of jobs and transform the local economy.
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Monnier, who is resident in Cabo Verde, also owns the Hilton Hotel in Santa Maria, on Sal island, the only five-star hotel in Cabo Verde.
Under the country’s gaming law, five gaming zones are permitted – Santiago, São Vicente, Sal, Boavista and Maio.
Chow meanwhile has accused the Cabo Verde government of failing to show sufficient support for his project.
The Cabo Verde newspaper A Nação reported last month that Chow had quit his post as Cabo Verde’s honorary consul in Macao, a position he held since 2001.
