The property is located on the Cotai Strip and is worth close to HK$39bn (US$5bn). The casino would be opening with 150 new-to-market game tables, but Chair Daisy Ho Chiu Fung didn’t say how many of them will be available to the public at launch.

The full launch of Grand Lisboa Palace will be completed in phases. “We are hoping that within this year, by the end of the year, we will be able to open up the entire property,” said the Chair.

This Friday, the property should open with 300 rooms out of the 1,900 that were planned in total.

“The rest of the rooms will be gradually coming into service, depending on actual demand,” said Ho. However, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) stated last week that the accommodation licence for the property hasn’t been issued yet.

“Furthermore, the licensing process is still underway for all non-gaming amenities at Grand Lisboa Palace,” said the agency. It is unknown how this affects the partial opening plans, but guests can’t currently book rooms via the casino’s website.

The game tables would reportedly be divided between the mass-market and VIP segments; but the final allocation, according to Ho, would depend on a number of factors such as VIP customers from Hong Kong and current travel restrictions.

There’s also the looming expiration of Macau’s gaming concessions to consider, with current licences set to expire in 2022.