Malaysian property giant Berjaya Assets has formally denied any intention of developing a casino in the state of Johor on Singapore’s border.
The denial came in the wake of news reports that Johor’s chief executive had categorically rejected gaming as a possibility in the state.
Reuters ran a story recently that cited an unnamed source for the casino plan. The story apparently originated with a couple of Malaysian newspapers, which said that Berjaya, an arm of the Berjaya Group conglomerate, had identified an 18-acre site near the Malaysia-Singapore causeway for an integrated destination, possibly with a casino. The Reuters report said the development would be aimed at a growing population of middle- and upper-income residents expected to locate to the area in the coming years and that with a gaming component it could pose a competitive threat to Singapore.
Datuk Mohamed Khaled, the chief executive, responded by saying he had received no communication from Berjaya regarding the project, which would need the approval of the state and some federal government agencies to proceed, including the Ministry of Finance.
He said also that if an application was received, or even if approval was granted by the federal government, Johor would oppose the project to ensure the casino never gets built.
Berjaya is no stranger to the industry, operating through a subsidiary Malaysia’s sports lottery, but regarding the casino the board of directors said it “would like to formally state that there is no truth to the speculation” and added that it is “seeking legal counsel on the possibility of taking action” against the two Malaysian newspapers, The Edge Weekly and The Edge Financial Daily.
