Joining Jimei to glitz up coastal city
Salient Ventures International has reportedly won approval from the Cambodian government to build and operate multiple hotels and casinos in Sihanoukville.
According to the Asia Gaming Brief, the country’s Council of Ministers OK’d a plan for the Malaysian company to develop resorts in the coastal city near Phnom Penh. A locally registered subsidiary of SV International, Salient Ventures has announced an ambitious plan to transform the city into the “Macau of Southeast Asia.” To that end, it will acquire “every potential development lot” in Sihanoukville’s port area, and also buy existing hotels for renovation, with a plan to “equip them with gaming licenses.”
The government has also given the nod to online gaming, nightclubs, karaoke bars and massage parlors as well as dog racing, AGB reported. Ros Phearun, a spokesman for the Ministry of Economics and Finance, said the unit has been granted approval to operate casinos in the coastal city, but has not yet submitted a license application to offer gaming.
“All the relevant documents have not been submitted to the ministry, so I do not have details of their plans or investments,” he told the Phnom Penh Post.
SV International CEO Daniel Lim says the plan will be realized over the next three to five years with multiple casinos, online casinos and resorts. He has already recruited Majestic Hotel Casino and Golden Royal Hotel and Casino as partners, he says.
Junket runner Jimei International recently announced plans to build an “entertainment resort complex” in Sihanoukville. Jimei is reportedly partnering with local developer Yeejia Tourism Development and general contractor MCC International Inc. of Mainland China. In a filing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Jimei reported the resort will include a hotel, a golf course, a theme park and “other entertainment and tourism business.” There has been no word to date on gaming facilities.
