Asian casino operator Macau Legend Development Limited has reportedly declared that it hopes to open its new Legend Palace Hotel in the Fisherman’s Wharf district of Macau “as early as possible” after recently completing all construction and fitting out duties.

According to as report from GGRAsia, the new five-star development, which is set to feature 223 hotel rooms alongside a casino with 80 to 120 gaming tables, underwent a fire drill on Tuesday and is currently in its “final inspection stage” under Macau Government Tourism Office licensing protocols.

Last month saw Hong Kong-listed Macau Legend Development Limited declare that it hoped to have the new venue open by mid-January and before the start of celebrations for the Chinese New Year but this target has now slipped with Paulo Martins Chan, Director for the Gaming Inspection And Coordination Bureau, telling Asia Gaming Brief that his office is still “evaluating and conducting research”.

Located at the end of the Fisherman’s Wharf waterside entertainments complex on the Macau Peninsula and due to offer gambling under a license held by SJM Holdings Limited, Legend Palace Hotel could additionally feature a VIP gaming room after local junket operator Cali Group revealed that it is planning to apply for the necessary approvals.

“We are planning to run a VIP room in Legend Palace Hotel and it is going to feature our Cali brand,” Lei Kit Meng from Cali Group told GGRAsia.

Macau Legend Development Limited moreover operates the 82-table Pharaoh’s Palace Casino inside The Landmark Macau hotel along with a further 51 gaming tables at the nearby Babylon Casino Macau. It has yet to officially explain whether the gaming tables due for its latest venue are to be new-to-market or relocated units although Chan reportedly told GGRAsia that the company had applied for permission to circumvent the current cap.

“We prefer not to disclose operation strategies of the business at this stage,” read a statement from Macau Legend Development Limited to GGRAsia. “We can only say that it is our intention to move New Legend, our self-run VIP business [at Pharaoh’s Palace Casino] to Legend Palace Hotel once the hotel is opened. There are several options that can be implemented and [we] will look carefully at the market environment before implementation. With The Landmark Macau and Babylon [Casino Macau], we are flexible in how to allocate the tables and will take into account market conditions before finally deciding the number of tables at each of our operation centers.”