Good Morning. ‘What happens in Colombo…’ could be Sri Lanka’s new tourism slogan, as the nation aims to significantly improve visitation by leveraging its casino offerings. The opening of City of Dreams Sri Lanka has highlighted the need for regulatory oversight and the focus on affluent Indian and Chinese clients. But its success depends on more than legislation and expectation. Moving to the world’s gaming hub, Macau could see a rise of up to 15 percent in GGR for 2H25, according to analysts, as August results are tracking well, driven by strong visitation.
What you need to know
- Sri Lanka aims to get 10% of GDP from tourism, with casinos driving growth by attracting affluent Indian and Chinese visitors.
- Morgan Stanley predicts 15% rise in Macau GGR for 2H25, with August GGR at $2.55B, driven by strong trends.
On the radar
- Macau Legend: $165M impairment loss due to satellite casino closure.
- Macau saw a surge in suspicious chip conversions in 2024.
- Ainsworth share scheme by Novomatic terminated, takeover still planned.
- Ras Al Khaimah’s tourism development authority appoints new CEO.
- Kangwon Land to study Osaka’s resort strategy amid rising competition.
AGB Intelligence
SRI LANKA
Casinos to drive tourism’s contribution to GDP
While many countries are aiming to rein in gaming and casino operations, Sri Lanka is moving strongly into the sector, with aims to significantly elevate tourism’s proportion of GDP by leveraging casinos. With the goal of attracting affluent Chinese and Indian tourists, the nation hopes to bring in up to 3 million visitors this year. Part of this is the establishment of regulatory oversight for gaming, accompanying the opening of South Asia’s first integrated resort: City of Dreams Sri Lanka.
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