This is great news IMO,I am still not sure it will happen but they are confident that the cash is there for it so you never know. http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0613/casino.html
Crosby probably had a word with someone. As long as this doesnt cost us the tax payer anything then its a good thing but as with all big developments I can see the tax payer bailing them out if it goes tits up.
Perhaps 3 or 4 years ago this might have been a goer but in the current economic climate I would have my doubts.
I believe from the start the developer has been saying 'finance is in place' - now what that means exactly, no-one knows except for those involved!But they are not relying on banks.
1,000 Jobs during construction and then between 1,500 and 2,000 jobs on the site once it opens can only be positive. Also it could end up being a hub for tourism and hens/stags etc. The more people coming to visit and spending money the better. The only thing is the money cannot come from loans in Irish Banks. We can’t afford to take a gamble on this project and the whole thing going belly up and you me and everyone else taking on another €500 Million of bad debt from the banks! Also a relation of mine has been working on the site down there for Richard Quirke for the past two years and he can’t speak highly enough of him. The workers have been treated like kings. On-site accommodation with their own chef and during the very bad weather last year one of the lads worked a few extra days to get something done, then ended up stranded with the ice and couldn’t get home for his daughters christening in Donegal. Quirke heard about it and organised his private helicopter to fly him back so he wouldn’t miss the christening!
I think its important to note that this require a change to Ireland's gaming laws before it can go ahead..would imagine the backers would want clarity on this aspect before commiting funds..
If they are not relying on the banks then they might have a chance of making it work.I'm just thinking about the marina planned for Greystones and the mess that was created out there.At least we wouldn't have to fork out 600 quid to fly to Vegas to satisfy our gambling needs.
Build it ... and they will come Fair play to them for pressing ahead with this project. Personally, I'm not convinced they have the location right for this project, but hey, what do I know ? In order to make it a long term success, it needs to be bigger and offer far more entertainment facilities than the planning currently permits so as to ensure it can draw enough people in and make it commercially viable, imho ... Who knows, it's could be Ireland's answer to Vegas
think i heard on the radio that they would also recommend areas where casinos should be built, can't imagine it doing very well with only 500 rooms, some of the bigger hotels in vegas have 4-5000 rooms EACH how the hell am i going to get there at 4 in the morning when im looking fir a late drink
Most legislation takes between 18 - 24 months to pass...something like this which could spark a debate can easily become more complex and take longer than originally planned...
This is not like Vegas at all LV works because there is always more than one option... depending on your budget you can stay at the Palazzo or the Stratosphere and 100 options in between, you can go to a different show every night etc etc.No-one would travel to Vegas if it was just The Bellagio on its own. As for the rest of the stuff,Greyhounds maybe, but horseracing will be much more difficult. All the Irish Classics and Group1 races and 90% of the Group2s/3s are ran at The Curragh and Leopardstown, and those courses aren't going to give them up. And you can't just announce that you are going to have three meetings a week or whatever... theres a regulatory body (Horse Racing Ireland) which doles them out and the HRI aren't the sort of people to take kindly to some brash upstart like Dr Quirkey. They'll give them maybe 6 fixtures a year for the first few years
Won't fail just get caught in a couple of Tribunals but don't worrry Lowry will just brazen in out and leave the taxpayer on the hook for the legal bills and subsequent Court actions...