ROLAND KHOURY NEW CEO OF CASINO DU LIBAN

As the new CEO and GM of Casino du Liban, the Middle East’s only casino, Roland Khoury believes in leaving nothing to chance. He did, however, give HN an under-the-table look at his grand plans and winning vision for the iconic venue

There’s no chance in life; chance is when preparation meets opportunity. I was very well prepared when opportunity knocked on my door

Tell us about your background...

I graduated from Notre Dame University - Louaize (NDU) with a BA in hospitality and I have two MBAS – one in finance and one in marketing. I’ve worked for many restaurants and opened several projects with Synergy. Before Synergy, I was in Dubai and opened restaurants within the hotel industry. When I was a student, I used to be the F&B manager at Mtaileb Country Club and my main training was in Century Park Hotel Beirut, under chef Joe Barza, in the kitchen.

What are your sentiments about the casino on a personal level? How did you feel when you took up your new role?

You really start living the casino experience; the numbers, the players…it’s all new to me. I receive a report from the casino every two hours, so it’s become routine for me to wake up every night at midnight, 2 am and 4 am to check the figures. I’m checking how many people are there and what the drop is, which tells me how they are spending their money. In casinos, we look for how many people are spending, not winning.

Is the casino currently making money?

We have a big problem in Lebanon; the government currently takes 50 percent of our gross revenue as taxes. We are the only establishment in Lebanon licensed to operate a gaming facility or club. Our contract is for 30 years and, since it was awarded in 1996, it will end in 2026. The government took 30 percent over the first 10 years, then 40 percent in the second 10-year phase, before increasing the level to 50 percent in December 2016. However, we don’t really have a monopoly on gaming, since there are several small shops for poker and other such activities in the country. We are therefore requesting from the government to either close all of the shops, since they are illegal or, if this can’t be done, to let Casino du Liban pay the same taxes as these small shops do. The shops pay LBP 1 million (USD 667) annually to the government per slot machine. We, on the other hand, have 600 slot machines. If we were to pay the same as the shops, the total would be around USD 400,200. Today, we pay around USD 40 million.

What is the Lebanese government doing to support you?

We are in negotiations to extend the contract for another 30 years and to discuss the percentage issue, since casino strategies have changed around the world. Nowadays, they have to pay for tickets, hotel bills and send planes for big players, while funding marketing tools, etc. We cannot do this, when we’re paying 50 percent in taxes. Casinos in Cyprus pay 20 percent to their government, for example, so we need to reevaluate the percentage we are paying and close all the unlicensed shops. Extending the contract is key to finding investors for the casino. Hopefully, the main shareholders will invest and there are also grants available from the Lebanese Central Bank.

What were your immediate points of focus when you took office?

First, we needed to control expenses; that area was a disaster. Also, we now have 24hour electricity; before, we were spending USD 1.5 million on generators. I contacted the Minister of Electricity to discuss addressing the issue with him, since Casino du Liban is paying its bills, and now we are paying out less than USD 1 million a year for generators. We are also doing staff training with Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, our consultant. Another development is that we are now on social media and rebranding our name. Changes are also under way, such as the introduction of new games, and slot machine modernization. Our next main project is to invest in a new gaming room. We’re also thinking of putting in place a new dress code for our guests and working on introducing online gaming, with a service provider. We are also investing in our theater and other entertainment facilities including new restaurants and dining outlets. We have a lovely terrace that isn’t being used, so we want to bring in a big name in lounge bars. The idea is to make our additions and have new rooms in place in the coming year.

How are you reviving the casino?

We are studying our customers and marketing the casino across the country, with LED screens to help make it the casino of 2040. We will also be looking at local markets and VIPS from the MENA region.

We will work on changing people's perceptions about the casino to a place where you can bring your wife, have dinner, watch a performance and also play. We want people to play safe; loan sharks are no longer allowed to enter the casino.

The next step, we hope, is to create a hotel, which will form part of the casino. We’ve begun looking at plans, with tunnels and bridges linking the casino and hotel. The design would include about 50 private 'chalets' and could also feature a cable cart and yacht docking. We want something unusual and unique.

The first stage - the new entrance, banquet hall, theater and enclosed bridge - can be completed in two years. The second stage would be the hotel and the yacht docking, which we anticipate would be completed by 2020. What’s the best business advice someone has given you?

There’s no chance in life; chance is when preparation meets opportunity. I was very well prepared when opportunity knocked on my door.

The first stage - the new entrance, banquet hall, theatre and enclosed bridge - can be done in two years. The second stage would be the hotel and the yacht docking