Site of staff demonstration
Casino Greek Mythology in Macau shut its doors with no advance notice December 30. But there’s no trouble, said Ambrose So, executive director and CEO of SJM Holdings, speaking to the Macau Daily Times. According to So, the resort and hotel are simply overdue for an upgrade.
“The hotel and the casino premises are a little bit worn out, so they would like to do a renovation before they resume operations,” he said. “I think they would like to open as soon as possible, because they would like, of course, to try to proceed and make some money.” The property operates under an SJM license at the Beijing Imperial Palace Hotel.
Since the shutdown, 100 casino staff members have been transferred to other SJM properties, the Times reported.
The hotel made news in 2012, when a battle erupted over ownership of the property. Then-owner and onetime junket operator Ng Man Sun had transferred an 80 percent interest in the hotel to his girlfriend, Chen Mei Huan. When they broke up, she decided to keep the shares, which sparked a legal brawl. In the same year, Ng was attacked and beaten by six unknown men. The following year, the Macau Court of First Instance ordered the hotel to be seized to pay off debts owed to a Macau travel agency.
More recently, employees of the hotel staged protests, saying they had gone unpaid for months. During the dramatic demonstration, protesters climbed onto a high balcony of the property, forcing police and firefighters to set up air bags in case someone jumped or fell. The Labor Affairs Bureau stepped in to mediate the dispute but according to CalvinAyre.com, “these efforts may have come to naught.”
The Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau had no comment on the closure last week.
