Lim Kok Thay, the executive chairman of the casino and resorts conglomerate Genting, sought a casino license in Macau in 2022, competing against the six incumbent gaming companies already operating there1. Forbes reported that he faced "an uphill battle in his bid to win a casino license in Macau as he is competing against six incumbent gaming companies"1.
"Lim Kok Thay is facing an uphill battle in his bid to win a casino license in Macau as he is competing against six incumbent gaming companies"
Lim is a Malaysian citizen who lives in Kuala Lumpur, with a net worth Forbes listed at $1.5 billion1. Forbes lists his source of wealth as casinos and describes him as the executive chairman of Genting, "a casino and resorts conglomerate with a global footprint"1. In February 2025 he stepped down as CEO of Genting, a role he had held for almost two decades1.
His other holdings include Empire Resorts, the parent company of Resorts World Catskills, which Forbes describes as loss-making1. In 2022 his cruise operator Genting Hong Kong, hit hard by the pandemic, filed a winding up petition and he stepped down as chairman1. Forbes also reported that Genting Singapore is revamping its Resorts World Sentosa as part of an ongoing S$6.8 billion ($5 billion) expansion that will include two new hotels, a four-storey retail and dining podium, and a waterfront promenade1.
The outcome of the Macau license bid has not been reported in the available material, and no decision by Macau's licensing authority on his application appears in it. The six incumbent companies are not named in the source.
What it means for players
Macau's casino market is run under a fixed set of government concessions, so who holds a license shapes which casinos in Macau a visitor or resident can walk into and which brands operate them. A new entrant would not change entry rules, which are set by the government and the operators, not by the number of license holders. The background to how the city's licensing system developed is set out in the history of gambling in Macau, and the general question of which body licenses which market is covered in gambling regulators and licenses in Asia. Anyone checking whether an operator is licensed can use the same verification steps described for fake gambling license claims.
What happens next
No dated next steps in the Macau license process appear in the available material.
Sources1 sources
- Lim Kok Thay, forbes.com
