The GentingGroup announced Monday that it will break ground in 2014 on the 87-acre site where the partially built Echelon project has sat for nearly five years, put on indefinite hold by Boyd Gaming Corp.
With other major casino players like Las Vegas Sands and Malaysian giant GentingGroup already investing in their own South Florida mega-plans, it seems like Boyd and the Panthers are setting themselves up to take advantage of the inevitable gambling explosion in whatever form that may be.
Unfortunately, the execution has been handicapped in the U.K., where a sudden tax increase and a ban on smoking in the past year have hurt Genting International, which includes the group's casinos outside of Malaysia.
Once Singapore's two megacasinos are ready for business and other countries around Asia open the door to the industry, the group will need to protect its Genting Highlands crown jewel.