Casino deal in the bag, says Leighton

The Standard ----Top Story Casino deal in the bag, says Leighton Keith Wallis Leighton Asia (Northern), the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of Australia's largest construction contractor, says it has been awarded a HK$2 billion contract to design and build Steve Wynn's hotel and casino complex in Macau, confirming a report in The Standard yesterday. The project will be done in a 50:50 joint venture with China State Construction Engineering Corp. When completed, it will feature a hotel tower containing 600 rooms, gaming areas, nine restaurants, a shopping arcade, a ballroom and meeting rooms, a health club and spa and an underground carpark. Design work is being done by Hong Kong firm, Wong & Ouyang. Construction is to start this year for completion by the fourth quarter of 2006. Leighton Asia (Northern) managing director Will Hamilton said the five-star complex would become a Macau landmark and that ``this project pushes our work in hand in Hong Kong, Macau and China to HK$5.3 billion, the highest it has ever been''.