Donaco plots Asia-Pacific casino and online expansion

Asian casino operator Donaco International is plotting an ambitious geographic expansion of both land-based and online gaming operations.

On Friday, Donaco CEO Joey Lim Keong Yew told Malaysia’s The Star that his company hopes to expand from its current casino foothold in Cambodia and Vietnam into other Asia-Pacific markets, including Macau, South Korea, the Philippines and Japan, over the next five years. The expansion could take the form of either new development or acquisitions, according to Lim.

Lim said “the next three to five years” would be a pivotal period for the Australian-listed company in terms of regional expansion, “particularly by digitizing gaming experience.” It was nearly one year ago that Donaco first informed investors of its Cambodian online gambling license and Lim said the company was eager to assume a role in “this lucrative business.”

In late August, Donaco announced that its flagship StarVegas casino in Cambodia planned to launch its online gambling operations this month. Last week, Lim told The Star that the online gambling platform would launch “in next month,” leaving open the possibility that the launch could be delayed until October.