• Subscribe
  • Magazines
  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
Tuesday 16 September 2025
  • zh-hant 中文
  • ja 日本語
  • en English
IAG
Advertisement
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
    • Africa
    • Australia
    • Cambodia
    • China
    • CNMI
    • Europe
    • Hong Kong
    • India
    • Japan
    • Laos
    • Latin America
    • Malaysia
    • Macau
    • Nepal
    • New Zealand
    • North America
    • North Korea
    • Philippines
    • Russia
    • Singapore
    • South Korea
    • Sri Lanka
    • Thailand
    • UAE
    • Vietnam
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
No Result
View All Result
IAG
No Result
View All Result

Crown, Keells Casinos Under Fire in Sri Lanka Election

Newsdesk by Newsdesk
Fri 26 Dec 2014 at 13:45
Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The leading challenger to Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s bid for a third term in office says he will cancel the licenses issued to Crown Resorts and John Keells Holdings to develop resort casinos in the capital of Colombo.

Mithripala Sirisena, who quit as Mr Rajapaksa’s health minister to run for president in the 8th January election, has crafted a platform designed to appeal to the island nation’s influential Buddhist community, which is skeptical of the president’s vision of casinos as economic development tools capable of boosting tourism and attracting sizable foreign investment in new hotel construction.

The platform is incorporated in a manifesto endorsed by the United National Party, the main parliamentary opposition, and built around a vow to weed out official corruption and advance populist measures such as extended farm loan waivers and lower fuel prices aimed at weakening Mr Rajapaksa’s rural power base.

The president and his family have held a lock on government since succeeding at the end of the last decade in winning a civil war against a militant Hindu Tamil minority that raged in the north of the island for 25 years. The Rajapaksas’ resistance to Western calls for investigations into alleged war crimes in suppressing the rebellion scores highly with voters among Sri Lanka’s ethnic Sinhalese-Buddhist majority, and the regime has been successful in countering Western sanctions with large-scale infrastructure investment from China. China’s booming travel market is a prime target of the pro-casino development strategy.

“I would achieve for the country 10 times the development that actually occurred during the past six years,” Mr Sirisena said, and although Mr Rajapaksa is favored to win re-election, his challenger’s message is reported to be gaining support in urban areas and from Tamils and the country’s Muslim and Christian minorities with promises to purge the foreign service and establish independent commissions to deal with the war crimes allegations and secure the impartiality of the judiciary, police and other public services.

“The extent of corruption in Sri Lanka in the last few years is unprecedented and unheard of,” his manifesto states.

Sri Lanka is home to four officially sanctioned casinos, all relatively small, foreigners-oriented venues comprising a market that Melbourne-based Crown and resort conglomerate John Keells, Sri Lanka’s largest listed company, want to revolutionize by investing more than US$1 billion combined in luxury casinos with hotels in Colombo’s tourist core. The administration supports both projects, but gaming approvals have been held up by political and religious opposition.

Mr Sirisena’s manifesto does not mention the country’s largest operator: the three-casino group owned by the country’s richest man, Dhammika Perera, which also is set to expand with the addition of a $350 million gaming resort in Colombo.

 

RelatedPosts

Ciarán Carruthers: Crowning glory

Crown Resorts rolls out AI to improve player protection abilities

Fri 5 Sep 2025 at 05:37
Crown Resorts found suitable to retain Melbourne casino license but China investigation ongoing

Crown Melbourne given two-year extension to deadline for implementation of mandatory carded play across table games

Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 06:47
Sri Lankan cabinet approves creation of Gambling Regulatory Authority

Sri Lankan parliament passes Gambling Regulatory Authority Bill

Fri 22 Aug 2025 at 06:03
Melco awarded 20-year license to operate City of Dreams Sri Lanka

As City of Dreams Sri Lanka celebrates official opening, Melco’s Lawrence Ho says Sri Lanka “can be to India what Macau is to China”

Sun 3 Aug 2025 at 10:46
Load More
Tags: Crown ResortsDhammika PereraJohn KeellsMahinda RajapaksaSri Lanka
Share1Share
Newsdesk

Newsdesk

Current Issue

Editorial – Flipping the script

Editorial – Flipping the script

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 12:30

This month represents an important milestone for Inside Asian Gaming as we launch IAG EXPO – an expansion of the...

Asia market roundup

Asia market roundup

by Ben Blaschke
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 12:26

Inside Asian Gaming takes a deep dive into the state of Asia-Pacific’s key gaming markets: who’s hot, who’s not and...

Rewriting the rules

Rewriting the rules

by Newsdesk
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 11:43

IAG EXPO, taking place at Newport World Resorts from 8 to 10 September, is not your usual trade show. IAG...

Test of character

Test of character

by Newsdesk
Thu 28 Aug 2025 at 11:28

Since its establishment in 1989, Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has developed into the world’s most trusted name when it comes...

Evolution Asia
Evolution Asia
Aristocrat
GLI
Nustar
SABA
Mindslot
Solaire
Hann
Tecnet
NWR
NWR

Related Posts

The 2023 Asian Gaming Power 50: Ones to watch

Hong Kong Stock Exchange deems Andrew Lo unsuitable to be director of LET Group or Summit Ascent due to attempted Tigre de Cristal sale

by Ben Blaschke
Tue 16 Sep 2025 at 15:14

The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Ltd has imposed a Director Unsuitability Statement and a censure against Andrew Lo – the majority shareholder, Executive Director and Chairman of LET Group Holdings and Summit Ascent Holdings – deeming him unsuitable to...

Police arrest 100 people after detecting 62 cases of illegal money exchange in joint Macau operation

Police arrest 100 people after detecting 62 cases of illegal money exchange in joint Macau operation

by Pierce Chan
Mon 15 Sep 2025 at 22:58

Police from Macau, Guangdong and Hong Kong detected 62 cases of illegal money exchange and apprehended around 100 people suspected of being part of money exchange gangs as part of a month-long joint operation codenamed “Thunderstorm 2025”. Authorities said that...

Melco wins sustainability awards for “Above and Beyond” strategy

Melco proposes new notes offering, looking to redeem outstanding 2026 notes

by Newsdesk
Mon 15 Sep 2025 at 22:49

Melco Resorts Finance Limited, the Melco Resorts & Entertainment subsidiary that operates City of Dreams Macau, Altira Macau and Mocha Clubs, is proposing to conduct an international offering of senior notes as part of its plan to redeem all outstanding...

PAGCOR executive says technology advancements aiding rise in illegal online gaming operators

PAGCOR executive says technology advancements aiding rise in illegal online gaming operators

by Newsdesk
Mon 15 Sep 2025 at 22:25

The rapid advancement of technology within the gaming industry is driving a proliferation of illegal online operators by creating an unstable environment in which legitimate businesses can struggle, according to PAGCOR Vice President for Human Resource and Development Group, Dr...

Your browser does not support the video tag.


IAG

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • SUBSCRIBE FREE
  • NEWSFEED
  • MAG ARTICLES
  • VIDEO
  • OPINION
  • TAGS
  • REGIONAL
  • EVENTS
  • CONSULTING
  • CONTRIBUTORS
  • MAGAZINES
  • ABOUT
  • CONTACT
  • ADVERTISE

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Subscribe
  • Newsfeed
  • Mag Articles
  • Video
  • Opinion
  • Tags
  • Regional
  • Events
  • Contributors
  • Magazines
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • About
  • Home for G2E Asia

© 2005-2025
Inside Asian Gaming.
All rights reserved.

  • English