The government yesterday said it was prepared to issue two casino licences in Malta after a major player in the industry complained that it had awarded the only available 10-year concession to the Eden Leisure Group.

Following an expression of interest issued over a year ago, it is understood that Dragonara Gaming Ltd made the best one-off financial proposal; however, the licence for Malta was awarded to Eden Leisure because the government considered that it made the best overall offer.

After an evaluation period lasting more than a year, the government last week named Eden Leisure as the preferred bidder while declaring that it would also embark upon separate negotiations with Dragonara Gaming Ltd – which wants to open a new casino at San Antonio Hotel in Buġibba – to grant a second licence.

Dr Cardona yesterday issued a “clarification” statement to explain that the one-off financial offer – Dragonara Gaming’s was €3 million higher than Eden’s – “was never the determining factor in the decision as to who should be declared as the preferred proponent”.

The ministry said the most important aspect was the “financial value” and not the “financial offer”.

“The financial value of Eden Leisure’s proposal was substantially higher than that of the other proponents,” the ministry said.

It explained that while the financial offer was a one-time payment, the financial value took into consideration the full concession period.

“This aspect was made clear right from the start to all proponents in the clarification questions stage of the process, before they submitted their proposal,” the ministry said.

It is not yet known when the licences will be issued, though Eden Leisure Group has already said it is planning to open its 2,000-square-metre luxury casino next summer.

Last year, Dr Cardona admitted he had personally intervened in the adjudication of a contract for legal firms aimed at assisting the privatisation unit in the adjudication and negotiations for the casino licences.

Dr Cardona instructed the unit to choose a particular legal firm but had justified his intervention as a measure to open up the process to more competition among law firms.

A few days after his decision, the chairman of the Privatisation Unit, Emanuel Ellul, resigned citing personal reasons.