Cambodia: Donaco casino to resume operations tomorrow

Donaco’s Star Vegas Resort & Club will progressively advance towards resuming full operations.

Cambodia.- Donaco International has announced that the Government of Cambodia and the relevant local authorities have lifted the temporary closure of casino operations in the Banteay Meanchey province, where its Star Vegas casino resort is located.

According to the company’s press release, the casino will resume operations tomorrow (June 18) on a limited scale, with Donaco positioned to progressively advance towards full operational capabilities over the coming months. It has only been able to operate on a limited basis for domestic customers since September 2020.

By May, Covid-19 cases in the region had dropped drastically, but the government argued that since the venues had been closed for several months, they needed maintenance before they could reopen.

Non-executive chairman Porntat Amatavivadhana said: “We are delighted to put a prolonged period of Covid-19 disruptions behind us with the reopening of Star Vegas and a return to full-scale operations on the horizon. 

“The Cambodian border with Thailand has also reopened, which has traditionally been where the vast majority of Star Vegas’ customers originate from.  

“In tandem with the favourable macroeconomic conditions, we will maintain our focus on prudent control of corporate and operation costs. Of course, it will take some time before operations return to how they were before, but these external factors are extremely encouraging for our business.” 

At the same time, the company reported that the Lao Cai Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has recognised Donaco’s Aristo International Hotel as the only 5-star hotel in the Vietnamese province of Lao Cai for a period of 5 years. 

Donaco said the news presents a major opportunity for Aristo to attract new customers in the long term. The construction of the new Sapa airport in Lao Cai is also underway.