Taiwan’s Penghu Islands are closer to getting their much sought after casinos. Looks like the plans are for three resort casinos with no plans to rival Macau in terms of size or scale.
As for timing: (more…)
Lawrence Ho, son of Macau casino tycoon Stanley Ho, on Friday expressed interest in building casinos in Taiwan.
‘If the Taiwan government lifts the ban on gambling, I am interested in making investments in Taiwan,’ he said while attending a seminar in Taipei on Taiwan, Hong Kong and China business opportunities.
Ho said Taiwan has a ideal geographical location, being near South-East Asia and China.
When asked how much he wanted to invest in Taiwan, Ho said it should be about 20 billion to 30 billion Hong Kong dollars (2.57 billion to 3.85 billion US dollars), the same amount he has invested in Macau and Singapore, respectively.
Lawrence Ho is the chairman of Melco International Development Ltd, which is involved in building leisure resorts, entertainment facilities and casinos in many countries. (more…)
Las Vegas Sands’ President William Weidner recently gave an interview with a Chinese newspaper where he commented on the company’s desire to build a casino in a heavily populated area of Taiwan. (more…)
Here’s three articles to read about Taiwan’s Penghu Island. Little by little this seems to be making progress. This could be the next Asian shoe to drop.
- Liu calls for casino gambling legalization
Premier Liu Chao-shiuan called yesterday for legalizing casino gambling on Taiwan’s offshore islands, in what some considered to be the first concrete step towards building gambling facilities on islands outside the Taiwan proper
- Taiwan to assess potential gambling industry
The government will release an assessment report by December on whether to develop the gambling industry in Taiwan, and the project is assessed as feasible, priority will most likely be given to the outlying islands to open this type of business, the country’s top economic planner said yesterday.
- Taiwan considers opening gambling business
The government will release an assessment report by December on whether to develop the gambling industry in Taiwan, and if it is assessed as feasible, priority will most likely be given to the outlying islands to open this type of business, the country’s top economic planner said yesterday.
Chen Tain-jy, chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development, said that the outlying island county of Penghu, with a view to boosting its economy, has long demanded the legalization of the gambling industry and has been seeking permission to develop gambling as a business there.
Interesting article about Penghu Island and its quest to be the newest Asian casino destination:
For many residents on Taiwan proper, Penghu is a haven from the stress of work and city life. But while the outlying islands are currently famed for squid fishing, snorkeling, coral reefs, spectacular basalt columns and tranquil villages, they may one day be better known for casinos.
Over the past two decades, Penghu, an island county located in the center of the Taiwan Strait, has assiduously lobbied the central government and the Legislature for the legalization of the gambling industry.
Consisting of 90 islets and with a population of 90,000, Penghu fears marginalization and has pinned its economic hopes on attracting visitors with games of skill and chance. (more…)
This is a couple weeks old.
At a meeting yesterday with industry leaders, Wang said the county hoped to exploit the introduction of the casinos to develop a more comprehensive tourist destination that could have the capacity to transform Penghu’s fishing industry into a means to boost tourist numbers still further.
“We have strong infrastructure and plots of public land that are ready for the construction of casinos,”
Full (more…)
Open the floodgates. My money is on Penghu Island. Heres the article from Forbes:
Ma Ying-jeou, who is due to take office as president on May 20, is in favor of allowing local governments in the offshore islands to issue gaming licenses if they so choose, the Economic Daily News reported.
Subject to parliament passing the necessary amendments, (more…)
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