Doubts are being raised as to whether the Louis XIII luxury hotel-casino project currently being built in Macau will be allocated any gaming tables.

Last week, Macau Legislative Assembly member Au Kam San made an inquiry into whether the government had plans to approve casino operations in Coloane, the 7.6-square-kilometer district adjacent to Cotai. Au Kam San specifically mentioned the long-stalled Golden Cotai No. 1 project backed by Hong Kong businessman Cecil Chao Sze-tsung as well as the infinitely more current Louis XIII project, which is believed to be targeting a mid-2016 opening.

In response, Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance Lionel Leong Vai Tac issued a statement saying there were no apparent legal restrictions against operating casinos in Coloane but that the government would “heed the people’s views” on adding gaming to Macau’s “only casino-free island.”

Speaking later to reporters, Leong clarified that the government had yet to receive any requests to open casinos in Coloane. Without mentioning either of the proposed Coloane projects by name, Leong noted that only Macau’s licensed casino concessionaires have the authority to make requests to open new casinos.