The Forest City mega project in Johor has basically been deemed a failure since many have described it to be a ghost town due to the lack of residences. The metropolis was also featured on BBC last year where a reporter interviewed former residents about the area’s living conditions.
Over the years, people have wondered if Forest City would be left completely abandoned or if something is being done to save it from dying. Some believe that opening a casino could help attract more visitors to the city. Here’s what we know:
After news broke out that Berjaya Corporation’s stock rose as much as 8.8% earlier today (Thursday, 25th April), Bloomberg reported that the Malaysian government is currently mulling over whether or not a casino should be added in Forest City as an attempt to revive the gloomy and eerie area. An unnamed source also claimed that Country Garden, the metropolis’s developer from China, is keen on the idea of the entertainment centre.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has reportedly met up with billionaires Vincent Tan (who is the founder of Berjaya Corp) and Lim Kok Thay (Chairman of Genting Group) to discuss the possible development of a gambling facility in the seemingly abandoned RM450 billion city. A representative of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar was said to be present during the meeting as well, according to Bloomberg’s report.
The exact content of the supposed discussion was not specified, however, Bloomberg suggested that a casino could give Forest City a little boost since it’s been struggling to attract property buyers from abroad and locally lately, especially during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. If a casino were to be built in Forest City, it would be the second place to have a casino license after Resorts World Genting.
As for whether the license would be approved, the decision is still uncertain given that Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country where gambling is considered a taboo. Interestingly enough, according to The Edge Malaysia, a spokesperson of Berjaya Corporation denied having any knowledge regarding the development of a second casino.
The Prime Minister’s office and Istana Negara have yet to release a statement regarding the alleged plans for a Forest City casino. Do you think a casino would be a good way to revive Forest City?
Sources: Bloomberg, MalaysiaNow, The Edge Malaysia, China Press
