The former floating casino Macau Palace will be refurbished and reopened as a dining destination, retail space and museum of gaming culture, but will no longer offer gaming facilities.
According to a report by Hong Kong newspaper Sing Tao – cited by multiple local and gaming media – the iconic structure will be part of the expansion of the Ponte 16 development, operated by the Success Universe Group.
Speaking at the group’s annual general meeting, director Hoffman Ma said more than 100 million patacas were being spent in the current phase of expansion.
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The company has a 49 percent stake in Ponte 16. SJM Holdings, the owner of Macau Palace, holds the other share.
The Macau Palace first opened in 1962 and briefly attained global fame as a location for the 1974 James Bond movie, The Man With the Golden Gun. After it was mothballed, it was towed to Lam Mau harbour in the Fai Chi Kei district.
In its new guise, the Macau Palace will be moored at Pier 14 in the Inner Harbour, close to the Ponte 16 resort.