In an interview with Bloomberg TV last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim again denied that he plans to grant a second casino license in the country. When asked the question, he gave an “affirmative no.”
In April, a source told the news outlet that Anwar had met with domestic gaming giant Genting and lottery provider Beraya Corp. about a possible casino in Forest City, Johor, a $100 billion residential development owned in part by Malaysian King Ibrahim Iskandar.
At the time, Bloomberg described Forest City as a failed venture and “white elephant” that could leverage a casino to bring in VIP clients. The story was picked up by other news organizations, but quickly shot down by Anwar and also Genting.
Anwar reiterated the point last week, telling Bloomberg, “There’s no necessity for Malaysia to venture into the casino business. We are focusing on digital transformation, energy transition (and) AI, and we believe that this is adequate to push the country forward.”
The Straits Times reported that “political activist” Badrul Hisham Shaharin was identified as the source and later detained by police, but Anwar said “nobody was arrested” and declared that it’s time to “move on.”
Genting operates the sole casino in Malaysia, Resorts World Genting in Genting Highlands outside the capital city of Kuala Lumpur.
