Century Casinos Agrees to Sell Interest in Gauteng, South Africa, Project
December 01 2004 - 10:40AM
PR Newswire (US)
Century Casinos Agrees to Sell Interest in Gauteng, South Africa,
Project COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
Century Casinos, Inc. (NASDAQ:CNTY) announced today that it has
agreed to sell its interest in the Gauteng, South Africa, license
application. In 1997, Silverstar Development Limited (Silverstar),
along with Century Casinos, Inc. (Century), had made an application
to the Gauteng Gambling Board (GGB) for a casino license in
Gauteng, South Africa. After a series of legal challenges and
lawsuits, the license is still unresolved with the GGB having seen
fit to prolong the legal dispute through the Supreme Court,
resulting in Silverstar not being able to commence with the casino
development. Silverstar has immediate pressing financial needs
beyond the level which they or Century would consider supporting,
considering the legal uncertainties unresolved and bearing in mind
the long history of the project. The Akani Group which is comprised
of Akani Leisure Investments (Proprietary) Limited and Gold Reef
Casino Resorts Limited (partly owned by the Casinos Austria group)
has agreed to provide the funds necessary for Silverstar to
complete the project and to acquire the entire shareholding of
Silverstar as well as all assets, rights and obligations of Century
in the project. The total selling price to Century is R50,3
million, approximately $8.5 million. An initial payment of R10.0
million, approximately $1.7 million, has been received today for
the sale of land owned by the Company's South African subsidiary
for the casino site and reimbursement of expenses and previously
advanced funds to Silverstar. The balance of R40.3 million,
approximately $6.8 million, is contingent on certain approvals
being secured by Silverstar and the Akani Group. The outcome of
these approvals is unknown at this time but with the financial
backing of the Akani Group, funding is now available to Silverstar
to complete its tasks and provide a higher level of assurance that
Century will ultimately get a return on its efforts to date. Should
such approvals not be obtained, Century's involvement in the
project will be restored to the previous level of ownership and
management. "The legal process in which Silverstar is embroiled in
was demanding an increasing amount of management's time. The
financial and management distraction for the Gauteng project had to
be considered in light of the various exciting North American
opportunities that have been secured. We believe the later
represent a better use of Century's resources and look forward to
completing this transaction to further grow Century Casinos, Inc.",
said Chairman and CEO Erwin Haitzmann. About Century Casinos, Inc.:
Century Casinos is an international casino company that owns and
operates Womacks Casino and Hotel in Cripple Creek, Colorado; owns
and operates The Caledon Hotel, Spa & Casino near Cape Town,
South Africa; operates the casinos aboard the ultra-luxury vessels
of Silversea Cruises, The World of ResidenSea, and Oceania Cruises;
and owns 50% of, and provides technical casino services to the
Casino Millennium in the Marriott Hotel in Prague, Czech Republic.
The Company continues to pursue other international projects in
various stages of development. The address for the U.S. offices is
1263A Lake Plaza Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80906. Telephone: (719)
527-8300. Fax: (719) 527-8301. E-Mail: . For more information about
Century Casinos, please visit the Company's web site at
http://www.centurycasinos.com/. Century Casinos' common stock
trades on The NASDAQ Stock Market(R) under the symbol CNTY. This
release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks
and uncertainties. Among the other important factors which could
cause actual results to differ materially from those in the
forward-looking statements are economic, competitive, and
governmental factors affecting the company's operations, markets,
services and prices, as well as other factors detailed in the
Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission,
including its recent filings on Forms 10-K, 10-Q, and 8-K. Century
Casinos disclaims any obligation to revise or update any
forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by it
or on its behalf. DATASOURCE: Century Casinos, Inc. CONTACT: Larry
Hannappel of Century Casinos, Inc., +1-719-527-8300, Web site:
http://www.centurycasinos.com/
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