Hong Kong-listed Century Entertainment International Holdings Ltd says there has been no further progress on preparation work for a new casino in Dara Sakor, Cambodia, where it plans to relocate its casino gaming table business.
According to a Friday filing, the work that is needed before opening comprises both systems testing and the provision of training to casino staff, with the delay due to strict lockdown measures in place nationwide.
Century Entertainment said the new casino “will continue with the remaining preparation works and strive for re-opening as soon as the current COVID-19 epidemic situation in Cambodia eases and personnel are able to move in the city.”
As such, the company and its CEO Ng Man Sun – who will run the casino in question via his wholly-owned entity Lion King Entertainment Company Ltd – have now agreed an extension of the Long Stop Date until 31 October 2021 for completion of an agreement they signed in February allowing Century Entertainment to operate some mass market gaming tables in the casino. The casino had been expected to open in March until this latest wave of COVID-19 struck Cambodia at the start of that month.
The ongoing saga of Century Entertainment’s Cambodian gaming business comes after it had originally signed a five-year deal with Lion King in 2019 to operate four gaming tables at Ng Man Sun’s casino in Sihanoukville.
However, casino operations were forced to shut down in April 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with Ng later revealing he had received a more attractive offer to move his casino to Dara Sakor.
When eventually ready, the new location will cover a gross floor area of 10,500 square meters with 20 mass gaming tables, seven tables for niu-niu poker, 10 tables for baccarat including Century Entertainment’s assignment, 1 table each for blackjack, sicbo and poker, 25 VIP tables, 50 EGMs and a Chinese restaurant.
Under the revised agreement signed with Ng and Lion King in February, Century Entertainment may be granted permission to operate more than four tables pending a valuation of each gaming table at the new location by an independent valuer. The tables will be mainly used for baccarat with the company entitled to 100% of house winnings and responsible for 100% of house losses.