KUANTAN: The Pahang government appears to have distanced itself from commenting on the hilltop casino operations in Genting Highlands near Bentong.
According to a source, the casino comes under the purview of the Ministry of Finance (MoF), and not the state government.
"The local authorities are only responsible for issuing the premises' business licence while MoF provides the casino licence.
"This is similar to a petrol station....the local authorities issue the business licence but the premises will comply with the directive from the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry in terms of operating hours, activities and volume of petrol sold," said the source.a
Meanwhile, the source said to date, the district health office did not report any positive Covid-19 case among the Genting Highlands casino staff and there was no justification to close the premises.
"Business premises will be usually ordered to close by the health authorities when they are required to undergo sanitisation exercises," it said.
When contacted, State Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin said the casino licence was entirely under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
It is learnt that the MoF will issue a statement on the Genting Highlands casino operations but it remains unclear if business has shut down.
On Saturday, Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, was quoted saying he was unaware the casino in Genting was operating and had ordered for its closure on Friday (May 21).