No opening date set for MGM Cotai yet

Tuesday 22nd of August 2017

Grant Bowie, chief executive officer of MGM China says the operator is currently working with the MSAR government regarding its Cotai opening, but did not disclose the opening date.

Bowie made the comments during the MGM Lion Dance Championship-Junior Lion Dance Training Program ceremony on Tuesday, reported Macau Daily Times.

“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.”

The mass market focused resort was originally scheduled to open in 2016 but was met with delays, and was pushed to the fourth quarter of 2017. The operator earlier said that the opening was subject to obtaining the required government approvals.

Last week, MGM Resorts International CEO James Murren said the new property would aim to attract more recreational gamblers rather than VIPs.

“Our business model is not predicated on the VIP business,” MGM Resorts International Chief Executive Officer James Murren said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. “Our strategic plan is built on catering to this tremendously emerging more-affluent Chinese customer, a customer that’s looking for more experimental experiences, not just a selfie moment or a gaming table.”

When asked 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.”

Bricks & Mortar Opening Date