French leisure and hospitality company Groupe Cogit has won the first casino license issued for French Guyana, located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. The property will be developed in the capital city of Cayenne.
According to CDC Gaming Reports, a study on the economic impact of the casino by Atout France says the casino could rank eventually “in the top ten French casinos in terms of turnover.”
Turnover has been estimated at €6 million (US$6.6 million) for the first year, the same for the second year, almost doubling to €11 million in the third year, and topping out at reaching €26 million (US$29 million) at the end of the 18-year concession. It will mean an additional €200,000 (US$22,000) in revenues for the municipality to start, rising to as much as €2.6 million (US$2.9 million).
Cogit will build on a 1.5-hectare (37-acre) parcel and a half of land. A temporary casino should be up and running by 2021 with the permanent casino opening in 2023. The complex will include a casino, a 460-seat theater, a restaurant and a bar. The planned investment is €30 million (US$33 million). It will employ 100 people at the temporary casino and 300 at the permanent venue.
Cogit currently operates four casinos in metropolitan France—in Cherbourg, Lacanau, Biscarrosse, Mimizan and Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie—and four in the West Indies.
