Inside Asian Gaming

December 2009 | INSIDE ASIAN GAMING 13 CotaiJet, a subsidiaryof LVS, launches a ferry servicebetween Hong Kong Macau Ferry Terminal on Hong Kong Island and the newly opened Taipa Temporary Ferry Terminal. December – MGM Grand Macau, the US$1.25 billion, 50:50 joint venture between MGM MIRAGE and Pansy Ho, opens on the Macau peninsula, using a sub-licence purchased from SJM. Market rivals SteveWynn and Dr Stanley Ho are among the guests for the lavish opening ceremony. It is the fourth and final major casino launch in an action-packed year. CotaiJet is forced to suspend ferry services to Taipa pending a legal challenge by a rival ferry concession bidder made to a Macau court. Crown Macau (now Altira) announces a record 1.35% VIP rolling chip commission deal with Hong Kong-listed junket consolidator Amax. 2008 January – Aristocrat, the Australian slot machine maker, tells IAG it is setting up an assembly line in Macau to build gaming slot machines for the Asian market. Ao Man-long, Macau’s former Secretary for Transport and Public Works, is jailed for 27 years for corruption. In a lengthy trial in 2007, he was accused of graft, including massive bribe taking amounting to at least HK$637 million (US$82 million) in exchange for awarding public works contracts. Investigators found HK$80 MGM Grand Macau