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October 9, 2014
Macau
Jai Alai Palace revamp on hold The government said it has yet to issue a building modification permit for revamp works to resume at Jai Alai Palace Stephanie Lai
sw.lai@macaubusinessdaily.com
T
he government has yet to issue a permit for renovations of casino operator SJM Holdings Ltd’s Jai Alai Palace building to proceed after months of suspension of revamp works, casting severe doubt on the reopening date of the building. Jai Alai Palace was set to be renovated starting late February last year following the lease of the property by Angela Leong On Kei – an executive director at SJM Holdings Ltd and a Macau legislator – to SJM for three years ending December 31, 2016 at a monthly rent of 10.3 million patacas (US$1.3 million), the company said in a filing with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on November 18, 2012. However, during a site visit by Business Daily to Jai Alai Palace yesterday, there was still no sign of works on the premises following months of revamp suspension ordered by the government in March this year. In an email reply, the Land, Public Works and Transport Bureau told Business Daily that the application for the permit of building modification – one that the government issues for revamp works to proceed – was still being reviewed.
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The Bureau did not respond regarding the reasons why the suspension was imposed on the Jai Alai Palace site, and when the works could possibly resume. Business Daily has approached SJM for more information on the revamp suspension at Jai Alai Palace
but had not received a reply by the time the story went to press. Speaking to the city’s Chineselanguage public broadcaster TDM Radio in late March this year, Ms. Angela Leong did not confirm whether the employment of illegal labour was the cause for the revamp suspension at
Jai Alai Palace, although she expressed concerns about the impact of the suspension on the revamp progress. As at June 30 this year, SJM had entered into capital commitments for the Jai Alai Palace renovation project with a total value approximating HK$720 million (US$92.9 million), the casino operator said in its interim report filed with the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on September 1 this year. In the interim report there is no mention of the suspension of works at the Jai Alai Palace building but SJM noted in the report that it expected to see it reopen in 2015, with new facilities including a hotel providing about 130 rooms, restaurants and retail outlets that the company envisioned would enhance the business of the to-be-reopened Casino Jai Alai and its adjacent Casino Oceanus. Jai Alai Palace used to be one of Macau’s oldest casino and entertainment venues, within walking distance of the Macau Maritime Ferry Terminal in the Outer Harbour. The property is connected to Casino Oceanus next door via a pedestrian overpass.
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