Macau mogul vows less kitsch for new casino resort

Macau tycoon David Chow Kam-fai is ripping up the fake volcano and Roman amphitheatre that were the show pieces of a failed theme park he built in the Chinese gaming enclave seven years ago.

He is replacing them with something a little less kitsch and more in keeping with the neighbourhood: a casino resort boasting an opera house and dinosaur museum that he hopes will return him to the spotlight of the world’s largest gambling hub.

The second-generation casino operator, whose four decades of Macau experience rival former kingpin Stanley Ho Hung-sun, is going up against the industry’s modern titans, including Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Sands and Steve Wynn’s Wynn Resorts who have built massive casino, hotel and shopping complexes that rake in billions of dollars each year.

“It is my time to come now,” said Chow, 62, whose Macau Legend Development listed on the Hong Kong stock exchange in July, raising US$283 million, less than half of what was initially planned.

Chow, a former Macau politician, has kept a low profile since the failure of the theme park, which he built with Ho. In his absence, Macau has been transformed with sleek glass towers, Michelin dining and luxury brand flagship stores.