Hong Kong casino resort giant Melco Resorts & Entertainment grandly opened in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, marking its first foray into the South Asian market.
The project, jointly developed by Melco and Sri Lankan local enterprise John Keells Holdings, has a total investment of up to 1.2 billion US dollars and is named "City of Dreams Sri Lanka".
Lawrence Ho, Chairman of Melco International, stated at the opening ceremony that Sri Lanka has the potential to become the "Macau of India". He noted, "Macau is the largest gambling market in the world, and Colombo, being the closest international city to India, has excellent advantages in developing integrated casino resorts." He emphasized that this project will not only greatly promote local tourism and employment but also attract a large number of high-end Indian customers, becoming a new hotspot for regional entertainment.
The "City of Dreams Sri Lanka" resort integrates casinos, high-end hotels, shopping centers, and entertainment facilities, with plans for further expansion of more business sectors. The industry is generally optimistic that the project will reshape the structure of Sri Lanka's gambling and tourism industries and have a profound impact on the South Asian gambling market.
