Malaysian company with ties to tribes eyes a casino in Florida

Tuesday, November 29, 2011  

Genting, a Malaysian company with a history in Indian Country, is seeking to build a mega-casino in Florida.

Genting plans to spend $3.8 billion on a resort with six towers, 50 restaurants and a shopping mall on the Miami waterfront. The company already spent $450 million to buy land and spent $430,000 on lobbying in the past quarter alone.

"We think everything is lined up, and this is going to go forward," Christian Goode, the company's chief financial officer in the U.S., told The Wall Street Journal. "We want to be a player."

Genting just opened a slot machine facility at the Aqueduct Racetrack in New York City. The company is also looking at Massachusetts, where it has a partnership with the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.

Previously, Genting loaned money to help the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation of Connecticut and the Seneca Nation of New York build casinos.

Get the Story:
Dreaming of a New Vegas in Miami (The Wall Street Journal 11/29)
Funds flow for casino law (The News Service of Florida 11/27)

Related Stories:
Opinion: Supporters of expanded gaming trying to play Florida (11/28)
Editorial: Expansion of non-Indian gaming won't help Florida (11/21)
Bill extends exclusivity for Seminole Tribe's gaming operation (11/16)
Editorial: Reject expansion of non-Indian gaming in Florida (11/14)
Seminole chairman slams comments about gaming compact (11/11)