Asia - Round Up

In India, the tourist department of the state of Maharashtra is urging local government to draft legislation which would permit the operation of offshore casinos. The Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) has advocated that casinos could lead to a substantial surge in tourist traffic. The Western state, whose coastline stretches over 700km along the Arabian Sea, currently permits lotteries only, although its government drafted (but never ratified) casino legislation in the early 1970’s – a fact which has only recently been rediscovered.

Meanwhile, in South Korea, the developers behind a new, foreigner-only casino slated for construction on Jeju Island have selected China’s state-owned Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) as the project’s primary builder. The ‘Dream Tower’ will cost some $606.6m (E528.72m) and will offer international tourists 200 gaming tables and 400 slot machines. At 38 storeys, it is also set to become the island’s tallest building. Construction is expected to get underway this month, with a projected opening for 2019.

Finally, in Vietnam, building work has already begun on the $4bn (E3.49bn) South Hoi An casino resort project. Located in the coastal city of Hoi An, Quang Nam province (pictured), phase one of South Hoi An will be the product of $500m (E435.8m) investment – and is expected to cover over 160 hectares. Once officially opened (anticipated in the first quarter of 2019), it will be the second largest casino property in the country, after the Ho Tram Strip resort casino complex in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.