The Bahamas’ gaming industry marked a milestone today as Atlantis Paradise Island officially launched its new Race & Sports Book, which is the first of its kind in the country.

Speaking at the launch held in the resort’s casino today, Atlantis president and managing director George Markantonis said: “This is very important for a lot of reasons. We are creating new jobs and we are contributing to the economy with additional gaming taxes.”

He thanked the Gaming Board and partner Cantor Gaming for “working so closely with us to make sure it is state of the art and, in my opinion, better than anything they have done in Las Vegas.”

The 6,860 sq ft Race & Sports Book includes 44 personal, and six VIP, betting stations as well as a video wall capable of showing 20 HD news feeds simultaneously broadcasting race and sporting events. It will be managed by Cantor Gaming, which introduced mobile sports gaming into Nevada in 2009.

Dr Andre Rollins, Chairman of the Gaming Board said that the US sports wagering market is currently estimated at $300 billion and pointed out that, with only four states in the United States able to legally provide sports betting, The Bahamas was uniquely positioned to capitalise on this growing market.

“This is a strategic advantage that can be exploited by our tourism professionals when offering another reason why it is better in The Bahamas.” he said.

“Sports is big business and it will be to our advantage if we continue to work with industry partners and stakeholders to develop this potentially lucrative part of our tourism, and I daresay financial services, brand and in the process become a global player in the business of sports wagering.”

Atlantis has also teamed up with Cantor to broaden its gaming options with a new mobile wagering service that allows users to place a bet anywhere on the property from their personal devices. Visitors can download the Atlantis Mobile Casino and Cantor Sports app directly to their smartphones via the resort’s website.

Cantor Gaming president and CEO Lee Amaitis said entering the growing mobile sports wagering industry would be very beneficial to The Bahamas tourism industry.

“With a very progressive government, a very progressive Gaming Board and a world class resort like this, you are going to see a lot of people coming down here. Our investment is going to return us significant interest. When word gets around, you are going to see a significant uptick,” he said.

cmorris@dupuch.com