Is Logo Issue Why the Royal Dragon Casino is Not Receiving Official Approval?

Citing no permission having been granted, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau of Macau has refused to let the Royal Dragon casino from commencing operations. The premises have already been constructed and are close to completion. However, the commencement of operations has been put off until further notice from the Bureau.

The Bureau informed GGRAsia upon the latter’s inquiry that they had “not received any official letter from any of the gaming concessionaires seeking approval for opening [a] new casino at that site”. To make things more complicated, the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau was not able to make a confirmation from their visit to the Royal Dragon’s premises whether or not there was any gaming equipment in the building. They did, however, confirm that the property sported a sign with “Hotel Royal Dragon” on it. This seemed too vague for the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau authorities, which accounts for the building having worn an incomplete face for so long.

However, the lack of permission from Macau’s casino regulatory body may not be the only reason that the Royal Dragon has not started operations yet – it could also be due to the similarity of its logo to the already famous hotel, Golden Dragon. In fact, this could also be a key factor for the Royal Dragon not being allowed to assume operations yet.

Although the chairman of the Golden Dragon Co Ltd., Chan Meng Kam, has not yet commented on whether or not the Royal Dragon is a part of their firm, speculations are being made of the possible trouble brewing up for the Royal Dragon. Mr. Kam, being a well-known tycoon in the casino business, would definitely not let a rival get away with copying his company’s logo. Whether or not Mr. Kam is behind the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau’s refusal to approve the license of the Hotel Royal Dragon is yet another question that is unclear.

Two casinos are already run by the Golden Dragon, one under the gaming license of SJM Holdings Ltd. and the other under Melco Resorts and Entertainment Ltd. No information about the Royal Dragon has come from either quarter. Slot parlor chain Mocha Clubs too has not given out any information about the Royal Dragon, despite its logo being sported on the Hotel, giving rise to speculations that the chain is going to open a new branch in the premises of the Royal Dragon.