LISBON’S NEW casino will not take business away from its long established ‘rival’ in Estoril, said the company behind the new project which is being officially launched on April 19.
Mário Assis Ferreira, president of Estoril Sol, said at a press conference earlier in the month that the new casino did not represent a threat to its older brother because “it offered a platform of complementary, not competitive, services”.
Work on the new casino at Lisbon’s Parque das Nações took nearly one year to complete, placing the casino in the Guinness Book of Records, for the longest time taken to complete a venue of its kind.
“The new Lisbon Casino was conceived to complement Estoril Casino and will offer a five-star service. Nothing that the Lisbon Casino offers will coincide with services offered by Estoril Casino and vice-versa,” he reassured skeptics.
One of the most important differences between the two casinos is in the area of entertainment. Contrary to Estoril Casino, Lisbon Casino will not have regular in-house shows or acts, neither will it serve meals during the performances.
In 2006, the new 15,000sqm casino will play host to Broadway show Forever Tango, Wild Woman Blues (a tribute to Ray Charles) and concerts by Salif Keita and Barbara Kendricks. Queen – It’s a Kind of Magic is planned for December 13.
