Powerful Casino Executive Dies

One of the world's most powerful casino executives died in a helicopter crash in the Dominican Republic. Howard Butch Kerzner who died at 42 was Chief Executive of Kerzner International, the casino group that was founded and built by his father, Sol Kerzner who is currently the group's chairman. Sol Kerzner headed to the Caribbean Island state today.

The Robinson 44 helicopter crashed on the roof of a building in the very popular tourist resort of Sosua on the country's north coast yesterday afternoon. Two pilots, both members of the Dominican Republic's armed forces, and a man named Delio Luis Gonzalez, who was identified as the son of a US based real estate investor, were killed instantly. The helicopter crashed while the men were surveying possible development sites. A commission has been formed to investigate the reasons for the crash.

Mr. Kerzner, who holds an MBA from Stanford University in the United States, was married with two children. He was born and raised in South Africa where his father started the casino empire in the Apartheid-era black homelands which includes the famous Sun City resort. Mr. Kezner and his father had recently led a buyout of the company which they have been trying to expand aggressively. Kerzner International owns five resorts in Mauritius, a resort in Mexico and manages one in Dubai as well. They have developed and own almost 70 percent of the Bahamas' Paradise Island that operates the Atlantis casino resort.

Paul O'Neil who was the former president and managing director of Kerzner International has now been named chief executive of the company. The company has teamed up with Singapore's CapitaLand which is Southeast Asia's biggest property group to bid for a casino license in Sentosa, Singapore. Other bidders include Genting International-Star Cruises which is part of Malaysian casino operator Genting group, a partnership between Las Vegas' Eight wonder, Australia's Publishing and Broadcasting LTD and Hong Kong's Melco International Development Limited and Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. The winner of the bid will be announced by the end of this year.

The company also aims to run Britain's first super-casino having had an agreement with the owners of the Millennium Dome. The Prime Minister of Bahamas Perry Christie, where the company's flagship resort is the second-largest employer behind the government, expressed his condolences and mourns for the passing of Mr. Butch Kerzner. He also said that the only comfort now is the knowledge that Butch's work in the Bahamas will continue and that his vision for Atlantis and for tourism in the Bahamas will be brought to life.