Party over for Macau nightspot Club Cubic

Club Cubic at City of Dreams was a place to go bananas in Macau. Photo by Funky Bambi Lu

Sad to report that Macau’s Club Cubic closed permanently this month. Debuted downtown then relocated to Melco’s City of Dreams in Cotai nearly a decade ago, Club Cubic provided top shelf nightlife that remains scarce in Macau despite seemingly favorable conditions.

My account of Korean pop star Psy playing Cubic in 2012 recalls how the club and the town could step up for the right show. The article also highlights that Macau faced non-gaming entertainment challenges back then; Club Cubic’s closing underscores the lack of progress since.

Former US diplomat and broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a columnist for ICE 365, a contributor to Forbes and Inside Asian Gaming, columnist/correspondent for Asia Times, and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

MGM Cotai arrives late to Macau party

Two years behind schedule and still incomplete, US$3.4 billion MGM Cotai opened February 13 to mixed reviews.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.

Melco-Crown split extends to hotels: Lawrence Ho

In an exclusive interview, Melco Resorts chairman Lawrence Ho says Crown Towers will be replaced at its City of Dreams properties in Macau and Manila. To be published in the June issue of Inside Asian Gaming, the full interview reveals Lawrence Ho’s reasons behind the exit of James Packer’s Crown Resorts from the former Melco Crown partnership and how Muhammad Cohen’s coverage influences Melco boardroom strategies.

Totally globalized native New Yorker and former broadcast news producer Muhammad Cohen is a blogger for Forbes, editor at large for Inside Asian Gaming and author of Hong Kong On Air, a novel set in his adopted hometown during the 1997 handover about television news, love, betrayal, high finance, and cheap lingerie. See his bio, online archive and more at www.muhammadcohen.com; follow him on Facebook and Twitter @MuhammadCohen.