Sri Lanka moves to regulate junkets ahead of first integrated casino resort launch
The revised gambling bill now includes provisions to license junket operators.
Sri Lanka.- The bill to establish a Gambling Regulatory Authority now includes a framework to license and oversee junket operators just weeks ahead of the anticipated opening of Melco Resorts & Entertainment’s City of Dreams casino in Colombo. Earlier drafts were criticised for omitting junket oversight.
Deputy minister of finance and planning Harshana Suriyapperuma confirmed the inclusion of junket licensing in the bill while addressing Parliament. He said the legislation was modelled on international standards from jurisdictions such as Singapore. “This has been promised for a long time, but the current administration has finally done it,” he stated.
The original version of the 48-page Gambling Authority Act, published in May, outlined junket licensing but lacked enforceable regulations. This led to concern from the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance about potential vulnerabilities to money laundering and criminal exploitation, particularly from junket operators with links to Macau and Australia.
Alongside the bill, the government relaxed import restrictions on gaming equipmen, a move intended to support upcoming integrated resorts like the City of Dreams, the first of its kind in South Asia. Melco’s Colombo project, in partnership with local conglomerate John Keells Holdings, is expected to launch in August.
