Following the resumption of construction works in the renovation of the former Casino Jai Alai earlier this month, the property opening date has now been postponed to after the first quarter of 2016 instead of this year, the chief executive of Macau-based casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd., Ambrose So Shu Fai, told media yesterday.
“There has been a delay in the issuance of [the construction] permit to Jai Alai; but two to three weeks ago, we already received permission,” Mr. So explained on the sidelines of the opening ceremony of Pier 16 3D World at Ponte 16 Resort yesterday. “The works are now ongoing.”
“The property will open next year but by the first quarter it may not be ready. So the opening date will be later than that,” Mr. So added.
A total of some HK$1 billion (US$129 million) has to be invested in the Jai Alai revamp project, Mr. So told media yesterday. In the 2014 annual report filed on March 31, SJM said the firm had entered into capital commitments in connection with the revamp project – named ‘Jai Alai Palace’ – for a total value of about HK$657 million.
The renovation work was suspended at Jai Alai in February last year ‘pending receipt of government approvals’, the firm explained in its annual report.
The expected opening date of Jai Alai as updated by Mr. So yesterday, however, overshoots the ‘late 2015’ mentioned by SJM in its annual report.
The gentrified Jai Alai will include a hotel with approximately 130 hotel rooms, restaurants and retail outlets – a new complex that SJM said will see its business enhanced along with its adjacent Casino Oceanus.
Jai Alai was one of Macau’s oldest casino and entertainment venues, within walking distance of the Macau Martime Ferry Terminal at the Outer Harbour. The property is connected to Casino Oceanus via a pedestrian overpass.
3D gallery new non-gaming attraction for Ponte 16
A new gallery of 3D images – titled ‘Pier 16 3D World’ – is now open on the third floor of the Ponte 16 Resort, the casino-hotel complex located in the Inner Harbour that has operated for some seven years. The 3D World site, occupying an area of over 18,000 square feet, serves as a venue for visitors to take photos at – a new addition to Ponte 16 that Mr. Ambrose So hopes will attract more visitors to visit the property as well as the Inner Harbour., In addition to acting as chief executive of SJM Holdings Ltd., Mr. So is chairman of the Ponte 16 Resort.
