Baha Mar ready to open in April, but no casino license yet

Wednesday 22nd of March 2017

The Baha Mar resort in the Bahamas is scheduled to hold a soft opening on April 21 and its casino floor is stocked with machines, though the IR still has not received its casino license, local media reported.

The resort, which is operated by a local unit of Hong Kong’s Chow Tai Fook, was scheduled to open with about 1,000 rooms. Prime Minister Perry Christie officially handed over the company to the CTFE, giving the company a certificate of occupancy allowing the resort to host guests.

“Today Baha Mar is being transferred to a world class company, one that successfully manages prestigious hotels across the world, including three successful resorts in the Caribbean - one in Antigua, one in Bermuda and one in the British Virgin Islands,” Christie was cited as saying.

“This new owner has actually increased their capital marketing and pre-opening investment from $200m to $250m. We are grateful for such a strong level of experience and investment to usher in new opportunities for the Bahamian people,” he said.

Graeme Davis, president of CTFE Bahamas, said the company has been given the approvals to order the machines as the prior developer had the machines in place (and) training underway before their licence was received.

Chow Tai Fook stepped in to take control of the project last year after the original developer filed for bankruptcy in a Delaware court in 2015.