Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim shut down Forest City casino rumour

Currently, there are no plans to open a casino in Forest City, Johor, at least according to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

“Not true, not true. Casino licence… That’s a lie,” he said at the Madani Muhibbah Aidilfitri event in Putrajaya on April 25th, as reported by Free Malaysia Today.

To emphasise his point, he held out his arms in an X sign.

He was responding to the question of whether Malaysia was considering granting a second casino licence for the development of Forest City in Johor.

Earlier today Bloomberg reported that discussions have commenced between Berjaya founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay of Genting Group and the government regarding the potential of establishing a casino in Forest City, Johor.

In that report, Bloomberg claimed that a casino is set to breathe new life into a RM478.35 property project.

Bloomberg also claimed in the report that gambling is well regulated in Malaysia and every few months the casino licence will have to be renewed by the finance minister, and the current finance minister is PM Anwar.

In Malaysia, gambling stands out as one of the most tightly regulated industries, with casino licences subject to renewal every three months.

The decision was left to the discretion of the finance minister, currently Anwar, currently held by Anwar.

Until today, Genting Highlands remains the sole licensed casino in Malaysia, a status it has held since 1969.

In 2014, the New Straits Times disclosed Tan’s intentions to resurrect plans for a casino at the Berjaya Hills Resort in Pahang, despite seeking a licence since 2004, Tan faced rejection amidst objections from various groups.