Gaming | Bowie not disclosing MGM Cotai opening date
Grant Bowie (center)
Grant Bowie, chief executive officer and executive director of MGM China, said that the casino operator is still working with the Macau government regarding MGM Cotai’s opening. He did not disclose the opening date.
Bowie made the comment on the sidelines of yesterday’s MGM Lion Dance Championship-Junior Lion Dance Training Program ceremony.
“What we are doing is focusing on our own business,” said Bowie. “We are excited about our project, so we are hoping that it’s going to be a significant contribution to Macau.”
“I think it’s quite clear that we are very excited about opening our property in Cotai, and that it will obviously give us a significant increase to our capacity […] we obviously hope that we can deliver successful results for the next decades.”
MGM Resorts CEO James Murren said most recently that the new resort would open in the fourth quarter of this year, possibly coinciding with the National Day Golden Week holidays. The comments were made during a conference call with investors in late-April.
“We want to be open this year. It’s important for us and it’s important for Macau,” Bowie added at the time.
When asked yesterday about MGM’s share of the local market once the Cotai resort opens, Bowie said the company would focus on maximizing market share and profitability by “making sure we deliver a property that’s interesting [and] can drive more visitors to Macau, not just from China but from all over Asia and the rest of the world.”
The State Council of China has released new guidelines restricting Chinese companies from making overseas investments that go against the mainland’s stance of “peaceful development, win-
win cooperation, and China’s macro[economic] control policies.”
The council said in a statement that the list includes real estate, hotels, entertainment, sports clubs, outdated industries and projects in countries with no diplomatic ties to China, as well as “chaotic regions and nations that should be limited by bilateral and multilateral treaties concluded by China.”
Bowie said that he does not have an opinion on that announcement, but added, “I think that the government of China is laying down very clear rules for investment and I am sure it will be very clear in terms of what’s acceptable and what’s not acceptable.”
“I don’t think that affects us in Macau. I think we just have to continue to do our business as usual; we have to continue to be [agile] and make sure we meet all the expectations of our customers […] if we meet the expectations of our customers, we will be successful,” he added.
75 graduate from MGM children’s lion dance program
MGM celebrated its third MGM Lion Dance Championship – Junior Lion Dance Training Program with Macau’s first-ever Junior Lion Eye-Dotting Ceremony.
This seven-week course, in collaboration with the Macau Hong Wai Sports and Recreations Association and with the support of the Macau Government Tourism Office as well as the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, trained 75 young masters aged between five and 10.
Guests were invited to officiate the ritual, which was followed by performances by the current and previous graduates, and concluded with the presentation of certificates.
Chow Chi Man, the Chairman of Macau Hong Wai Sports and Recreations Association, said that, “For the third consecutive year, the MGM Junior Lion Dance Program has received positive feedback from the community, as this is an important platform to nurture the next generation of lion dancers. We hope that in the future, they can form teams, join competitions and support the sports scene of Macau.”
To date, nearly 200 local children have joined the Junior Lion Dance Program since its launch in 2015.
The program is designed for different ability levels, with modules ranging from foundational choreography training to formal lion dancing. Participants gain a deeper understanding of traditional lion dancing and have opportunities to perform at public community events.
