The government has chosen two companies with which it will negotiate the concession two casinos. The companies are Eden Leisure Group and Dragonara Gaming Ltd.

In May the government had launched an expression of interest for the concession of a casino in Malta and another in Gozo. The Gozo bid, however, fell through.

In a statement today the government said that, following a competitive process overseen by the privatisation unit, the two companies have been identified as the preferred bidders.

Eden Leisure Group was chosen as the preferred bidder but the government will negotiate two concession agreements since the proposal put forward by Dragonara Gaming Ltd, which came in at second place, is also beneficial to the economy. The bidders were chosen on the recommendations of an evaluation ad adjudication committee.

The government said it will enter immediate negotiations with the two parties. The next step is to finalise the agreements through further discussions.

Economy Minister Chris Cardona said the government is sending out a clear message that it will keep working to improve economic growth.