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The Genting Group, which has proposed a $3.8 billion project for downtown Miami that could include gambling, has closed its purchase of the Omni Center and named Christian Goode president for its Resorts World Miami project.

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Oscar Pedro Musibay

Reporter - South Florida Business Journal

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The Genting Group has completed its purchase of the Omni Center and named Christian Goode president of Resorts World Miami, a proposed project that has yet to receive approval.

The Omni transaction represents the first step of development for Resorts World Miami, Genting noted in a statement Monday.

The total dollar amount now invested in the development is about $500 million, with Resorts World Miami at the center of a push for legislation that may result in Genting getting a license for more Las Vegas-style gambling in Florida. Should legislation pass and Genting receive a license, the company plans convert part of the Omni into a casino with new food, beverage and entertainment facilities. The conversion would generate more than 5,000 jobs, according to Genting.

Goode was most recently CFO of the $880 million Resorts World New York City project in Queens, N.Y. The project, which opened Oct. 28, welcomed 65,000 guests during its opening weekend. It created 1,350 new jobs, with 90 percent of the personnel coming from New York City’s five boroughs, including 70 percent coming from Queens.

The acquisition of the Omni Center includes the 527-room Hilton Hotel, 2,500-space garage, 300,000 square feet of offices, and 600,000 square feet of retail space.

“With over 350 employees, Resorts World Miami is starting to become a reality,” said Christian Goode, the newly-named President of Resorts World Miami. “These employees are the first of the 19,000 employees to be employed if and when the Destination Resort Act is passed and Resorts World Miami secures one of the three destination resort licenses.”

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