Casino Drama

The announcement of a $2billion proposed casino project and resort in Denarau, Nadi, has not settled well with Government and the Methodist Church of Fiji.

The casino is expected to be set up through an investment by David Group in China in partnership with One Stop Business Consultancy.

Consultancy managing director Sandeep Singh called a press conference yesterday to clarify what he termed false and misleading information appearing on social media platforms about the proposed project.

The first phase of the development (costing FJ$1B) include:

- Stand-alone casino and 1000

– room luxury integrated 7-star hotel with restaurants and;

- Conference rooms a business centre, shopping mall, marina.

The second phase of the development (costing another FJ$1b) include:

- Amusement park (Disney Style),

- Indoor rugby stadium,

- Entertainment complex and;

- Luxury subdivision

Mr Singh claimed the project was in line with the Government’s private sector-led growth.

He said he had met the Minister for Trade, Manoa Kamikamica, to discuss the proposal.

“His response to me was that people need to be convinced and consulted first,” Mr Singh said.

Kamikamica and the Methodist Church But Mr Kamikamica said the Group needed to make a formal approach to Government first.

“It’s like any other proposal; they need to do their research and understand the legal requirements on the ground and then make a formal

approach to the Government, which they haven’t done,” Mr Kamikamica said.

“I didn’t ask him to do a consultation. This was his decision.”

Though Mr Kamikamica confirmed meeting Mr Singh, he said there have been no formal discussions yet with him or the Government on the setup of such a project in the country.

The head of the Methodist Church in Fiji and Rotuma, Reverend Ili Vunisuwai, has also been seen in several social media posts meeting Mr Singh.

When asked if these meetings were to discuss the casino project, Reverend Vunisuwai said, “We do not allow it.”

Investor adamant Mr Singh said that without the casino, there would be no project as detailed above.

When asked how he would ensure the project does not end up like the failed One Hundred Sands Limited casino project, he responded:

“One Hundred Sands had the licence but not the money.

“David Group has submitted their audit report to make sure that the money is clean.”

He claimed to have received verified bank statements and audited reports.

He said he would approach the churches to preach about a better understanding of the impact of the project on the economy.

He envisions this as early as March, as well as setting up a mobile app that will allow the general public to make submissions on the proposed project.

“I trust the track record of David Group because of the investments and projects that they have done were negotiable.

“All the information will be presented to the Government as part of the licence submission once we conclude all assessments.

“I have to make one thing clear: the speculation on social media was prostitution; the other was on drugs.

“The people of Fiji should understand that casinos don’t produce drugs or prostitution.

We have tight border security.

“We will also provide additional money to the border control unit to have more resources and support the Fiji Police.

“These are elements that will build the project.

“Fijian citizens will not be allowed to enter the casino, and our security protocols will ensure that this requirement is upheld.”

About David Group According to a Bloomberg article in 2015, David Group is a Macau junket operator that serves high spending casinos in Macau with operations in China and other Asian countries.

However, the article reported that it was reducing its junket operations at the time.

Additionally, Medium, an American online publishing platform, also published a report in 2015 that the casino and resort conglomerate

was abandoning the casino markets due to a steady revenue decline.

Feedback: sosiveta.korobiau@fijisun.com.fj