Inside Asian Gaming

inside asian gaming April 2015 44 Resorts World Las Vegas to Break Ground 5th May Malaysia-based Genting Berhad will break ground on the US$4 billion Resorts World Las Vegas on 5th May, a company spokesman said last month. The Strip development, which has been in planning for two years, is projected to include 3,000 hotel rooms and a casino with a combined 3,500 slot machines and table games in its initial phase, reports the Las Vegas Review-Journal . The property will have 30 food and beverage outlets, a 4,000-seat theater and an elaborate garden attraction that will serve as its front door to the Strip. Spokesman Michael Levoff confirmed the groundbreaking date in an email and said more details will be provided in coming weeks. Genting bought the site from Boyd Gaming Corp. in March 2013 for $350 million and announced plans for the project. The site, once home to the Stardust, houses the unfinished Echelon development, on which Boyd halted construction in August 2008. Mr Levoff said in January that preliminary work had been done on the site, including a $2 million utility relocation at the corner of the Strip and Resorts World Drive. Genting also has renewed building permits and is finalizing the development agreement with Clark County. Genting was given a preliminary finding of suitability to hold a state gaming license by Nevada gaming regulators in May last year. The company still needs to apply for a full gaming license before Resorts World Las Vegas can open. Construction is expected to take place over multiple years and include at least two or three phases. Seminole Tribe Campaigns for Continuance of Florida Compact The Seminole Tribe of Florida has a new plan to maintain its exclusive gambling agreement with the state, reports online news site NBC-2.com . The tribe has been running TV ads that claim Floridians support the tribe’s deal with the state. One Fort Myers political consultant believes the ads are meant to place political pressure on the state government to resume talks with the tribe. The current contract between the two is set to expire on 21st July. There has been no communication recently between the two sides, and the state has not made clear whether it intends to extend the compact or let it expire. The compact, referred to as the deal between the Seminoles and the state, requires the tribe to pay the state a billion dollars over five years. In return, the Seminoles get exclusive rights to operate gaming tables and some slot machines in Florida. Would-be competitors are eager for the Seminole compact to expire. They include Malaysia’s Genting Group, which in 2011 proposed the $3 billion Resorts World Miami project, which, like the existing Resorts World-branded properties in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and New York, as well as the upcoming one in Las Vegas, would consist of a sprawling leisure and entertainment complex underpinned by a casino. INTERNATIONAL BRIEFS Rendering of the upcoming Resorts World Las Vegas Seminole Casino Hotel Immokalee Artist’s impression of Resorts World Miami