Sri Lanka now has a casino open for business as part of a $1.2bn integrated resort in the capital city of Colombo. It’s a joint project between Macau casino operator Melco Resorts & Entertainment and a local real estate developer named John Keells Holdings.
The grand opening on Saturday saw the unveiling of the 800-room hotel and the gaming facilities at the City of Dreams Sri Lanka property. Melco Resorts invested $125m into the project and will manage 113 luxury rooms under its NÜWA brand.
Colombo is the nearest tourist destination to India
Those behind the resort have big hopes. Their aim is to cater to tourists from India in the same way Macau caters to people from mainland China. Colombo is the nearest tourist destination to India, and the hope is that the destination resort will build its profile.
Talking about its potential, John Keells Holdings Chairman Krishna Balendra referenced the massive growth India is seeing in “its affluent middle and upper classes” and marked this as a key target market.
While the country already has casinos up and running across the country, the Sri Lanka City of Dreams will be its first integrated resort.
