Australia-listed casino operator Silver Heritage Group Ltd. will finally roll out the red carpet inside its Tiger Palace Resort in Bhairahawa, Nepal this weekend, capping the series of construction woes it has experienced over the past months.
However, guests may have to wait a little longer before they will be able to play inside Tiger Palace since the company said that its premium mass and VIP gaming areas will remain shuttered during the integrated resort’s grand opening.
“The premium mass and VIP gaming area are expected to open soon. The casino features 44 gaming tables and over 200 electronic gaming machines: there is a capacity for a lot more. The casino also has a performance stage and stylish bar,” Silver Heritage said in a statement.
Tiger Palace, which is located near two UNESCO world heritage sites, has 100 rooms and suites, in addition to two two-bedroom villas.
Silver Heritage initially planned to open Tiger Palace in February 2017, but a shortage of liquidity in Nepal’s banking system and unanticipated delays in getting approval to increase the equity ceiling of its Nepal corporate investment vehicle pushed the opening date of the integrated resort to August.
Tiger Palace’s original cost was estimated at $40 million but construction delays drove up the price tag to $51.8 million.
In September, Silver Heritage held a dry run of its casino resort facility by welcoming its first paying hotel guests, which included Silver Heritage co-founders Mike Bolsover and Tim Shepherd.
Shepherd, who is now a senior advisor of Silver Heritage Group, pointed out Tiger Palace has been a major part of the firm’s core growth strategy of focusing on developing casino resorts on the Indo-Nepal border.
He said that the immediate target market of Tiger Palace is the 15 million, middle-class Indians living near the borders of Nepal and India, noting that there’s a “strong demand from Indian customers for a wholesome entertainment destination.”
