September 4, 2018, 3:00 PM PDT

The Lucky Dragon casino in Las Vegas was pitched to foreign investors as a way to make money and score permanent residence in theU.S., but the now bankrupt project could leave them with neither.

The $165 million resort, which opened in November 2016, was billed as the first Las   Vegas casino designed specifically for Asian customers. It was built, in part, with $98.5 million from 179 foreign investors, who backed the project under an immigration program, known as the EB-5 visa, that lets immigrants who create jobs in the U.S.stay here permanently.

The casino closed in January, however, and is expected to be sold at a bankruptcy auction on Sept. 10. That means the foreign backers each could lose their $550,000 investment, as well as their shot at a green card, according to a bankruptcy court filing by the investors. Their attorney, Ryan Works, said his clients would like to see a new buyer who lets them retain some of their interest.

“I’m hopeful we can preserve some equity for these folks, but also I’d like to see the immigration process succeed for all the investors,” Works said in an interview.

Samuel Schwartz, an attorney for the Lucky Dragon, disputes the investors’ claims, saying all of them received preliminary approvals for green cards, and at least one has obtained a permanent one.

Immigration Service

Michael Bars, a spokesman for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, said that while he couldn’t comment on the Lucky Dragon, generally visa applicants who have preliminary approval will not automatically lose their shot at a green card based on the sale of a property, provided that other job and investment criteria are met.

The EB-5 visa has been around since 1990 and was designed as a way to create jobs in areas with high unemployment. Many projects have been funded through the program, although there have also been disappointments.

Investors who put some of the $398 million of EB-5 funds into the SLS Las Vegas Hotel sued when that property was sold, alleging, among other things, that crucial documents were only provided in English. In 2013, the Securities and Exchange Commission warned investors about potential EB-5 scams, including promises of certain returns and false statements about the status of permits and partners.

Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican who chairs the Senate’s Judiciary Committee, has pressed President Donald Trump for changes to the program, which he said has become “riddled with fraud.”

The Lucky Dragon had some high-profile names behind it, including William Weidner, a former president of Las Vegas Sands Corp. The 203-room hotel featured signs in Chinese, a multilingual staff and restaurant dishes such as Australian greenlip abalone. Table games popular with Asian customers and a tea garden added to the ambiance.

The lack of a frequent-customer database and a location on a side street at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip proved challenging, however, particularly once other casinos upped their Asian-targeted marketing after the opening.

The hotel remains open while the investment bank Innovation Capital LLC represents the company in negotiations with potential buyers.

投资拉斯维加斯的威龙赌场在过去被宣传是外国投资者赚钱和在美国获得永久居留权的一种方式，但现在这个项目的破产可能会让他们两者都拿不到。

这个价值1.65亿美元的度假村于2016年11月开业，被称为第一家专为亚洲客户设计的拉斯维加斯赌场。该项目有9850万美元来自179名外国投资者，他们通过移民计划（称为EB-5）投资该项目，该计划允许这些通过投资在美国创造了就业机会的移民永久居住在这里。

然而，赌场于1月份关闭，预计将于9月10日在破产拍卖会上出售。根据投资者提交给破产法院的文件，出售意味着外国投资者每人可能会失去他们的55万美元投资，以及他们拿到绿卡的机会。他们的律师Ryan Works表示，他的客户希望看到新的买家给他们保留一些利益。

“我希望我们可以为这些人保留一些股权，但我也希望所有投资者都能成功移民，” Works律师在接受采访时说。

威龙赌场的律师Samuel Schwartz对投资者的说法提出异议，称他们都获得了绿卡的初步批准，并且至少有一个获得了永久绿卡。

移民局

美国移民局发言人Michael Bars表示，虽然他无法评论威龙赌场，但一般获得初步批准的签证申请人不会因出售物业而自动失去绿卡，如果该申请符合了其他工作和投资标准。

EB-5签证自1990年启动，旨在为失业率高的地区创造就业机会。许多项目都通过该计划获得资助，尽管也有令人失望的情况。

SLS拉斯维加斯酒店的投资者在该房产被出售时也发起了起诉，该项目有3.98亿美元的EB-5资金，该起诉的关键文件仅以英文提供。 2013年，美国证券交易委员会警告投资者潜在的EB-5诈骗，包括某些捏造的回报承诺以及关于项目许可证和合作伙伴的虚假陈述。

参议院司法委员会主席，爱荷华州共和党人Chuck Grassley已经向总统Donald Trump施压，要求对该计划进行修改，他说这项计划已经“充斥着欺诈行为”。

威龙赌场背后有一些知名人士，其中包括拉斯维加斯金沙集团前总裁William Weidner。这家拥有203间客房的酒店设有中文标语，多语种员工和餐厅菜肴，如澳大利亚绿叶鲍鱼。受亚洲客户欢迎的赌桌游戏和茶园为赌场增添了氛围。

该项目所在的拉斯维加斯大道北端的街道上人流量较少，地理位置给了这个项目一定的挑战性，特别是其他赌场在开幕后加强了专门针对亚洲市场的推广活动。

投资银行Innovation Capital LLC正代表该公司与潜在买家在进行谈判，酒店目前仍然开放。