The Sri Lankan government recently announced the cancellation of a tender plan to establish a casino service counter at Colombo International Airport. The project was originally planned to operate for three years, aiming to provide gambling entertainment services to travelers, but the government officially revoked the plan through a notice without disclosing specific reasons.
This tender was first released on January 27, marking the first official proposal by Sri Lanka to set up a casino service counter at the airport. However, less than a month later, the plan was withdrawn, leading to much speculation.
Despite the setback of the airport casino counter project, Sri Lanka's gambling industry continues to expand steadily. Currently, the country has several operating casinos, including Bally's, Bellagio, Casino Marina, Stardust, Continental Club, and The Ritz Club, forming a relatively mature gambling market.
Meanwhile, two major new casino projects in Colombo city are progressing as scheduled.
The "City of Dreams Sri Lanka" project, jointly invested by Melco Resorts & Entertainment and John Keells Holdings, has a total investment of one billion US dollars. This integrated resort plans to open its casino in the third quarter of 2025 and is expected to attract a large number of international tourists, further promoting the development of Sri Lanka's gambling industry.
Another highly anticipated casino project is the Majestic Pride Casino, which is being developed in collaboration between Golden Island Hotel and Majestic Group, and is expected to open at the iconic Lotus Tower in Colombo. This project will further consolidate Colombo's position as a regional gambling hub.
Although the airport casino counter plan was revoked, industry insiders believe that this will not have a significant impact on the overall development of Sri Lanka's gambling industry. On the contrary, the government is still promoting larger-scale investment projects to enhance the country's appeal as a regional gambling destination.
As Sri Lanka continues to advance the development of its tourism and gambling industries, more new projects are expected to be launched in the future to meet international market demands.
