Gaming insights Gaming

The Grand Waldo

Written by James Potter

The first time I came to Macau, it was to play a poker tournament at the Grand Waldo. I enjoyed my stay very much and became a frequent visitor over the years that followed. The Grand Waldo has, alas, closed its doors. This sort of thing happens in Las Vegas all the time but it is a relatively new thing for Macau. So what is going to happen, I hear you ask? After all, space is always at a premium in Macau so it isn’t going to sit there like a ghost casino forever.

Well, the property has now been purchased by the Galaxy Group and they obviously have a long term plan. The question is when will they get around to putting their plans into motion? You would imagine that not much is going to happen while Galaxy Phase 2 is under construction. Phase 2 is a huge project and you can’t do everything at once.

The other big question is what are they going to do with the property? If it was Vegas they would probably just implode the building and start again but I have a feeling this won’t happen as the property is in good condition and features such as the spa have only recently had millions of dollars poured into it. You would think they could go one of two ways with this property – either make it a very exclusive property or a more affordable option for Galaxy patrons. I think they will lean towards the more affordable option. The infrastructure is already there and it wouldn’t take much to re-brand and create more much-needed middle tier accommodation options for visitors to Macau.

As Macau develops and matures, casinos will come and go. It’s the nature of an industry where the old is always replaced by something bigger and better or at the very least something different. Keep your eyes peeled as it will be interesting to see what happens.