By: A Special Correspondent
August 11, Colombo (LNW): The Colombo Commercial High Court has commenced hearings on a high-profile legal dispute involving prominent Sri Lankan casino magnate Ravi Wijeratne and Rank Entertainment Holdings, who have filed a case against John Keells Holdings PLC and four other parties over alleged breaches of agreement linked to the newly launched “City of Dreams” casino in Colombo.
The case was first heard on August 05 before Commercial High Court Judge M.Y.M. Isadeen.
The plaintiffs—Mr. Wijeratne and Rank Entertainment—are seeking Rs. 15 billion in damages, citing significant harm caused by the defendants’ alleged failure to uphold contractual obligations and by their concealment of critical information relating to the project.
The respondents named in the case are: Waterfront Properties Private Limited (1st respondent), John Keells Holdings PLC (2nd respondent), Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited, a Hong Kong Stock Exchange-listed entity (3rd respondent), and Blue Heaven Services Private Limited (4th respondent).
The court has directed all respondents to submit their statements of defence on or before November 25, 2025.
According to the plaint, the dispute centres on a long-standing commercial relationship between the plaintiffs and John Keells Holdings, dating back to 2013. The plaintiffs claim that, under a contractual arrangement, they were to operate a casino within the Cinnamon Life integrated resort complex, using a casino licence held by Rank Entertainment for that specific purpose.
Rank Entertainment asserts that since 2013 it has maintained a valid casino licence at considerable expense, solely for the proposed venture at Cinnamon Life, and has not utilised the licence for any other activity. Mr. Wijeratne and Rank Entertainment claim to have made substantial financial investments in planning and developing the casino hall within the joint hotel premises, relying on the express terms of the agreement with stakeholders, including John Keells.
They further allege that despite their longstanding engagement and investments, they have been denied access to operate the casino at Cinnamon Life. Instead, the space is now occupied by Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited and its subsidiary, Blue Heaven Services, both of which are currently operating under a different casino licence.
They pointed out that they are of over three decades of experience in operating casinos in Sri Lanka and have committed themselves into collecting, compiling and maintaining undisclosed sensitive information and commercially and personally sensitive information for the above project.
The plaintiffs argue that neither John Keells Holdings nor the Cinnamon Life Hotel possessed prior expertise in the casino sector in Sri Lanka, and that they depended entirely on sensitive business information provided by Mr. Wijeratne and Rank Entertainment. The claim asserts that this commercially confidential information—developed and compiled over decades—was misused without authorisation. The plaintiffs argue that such conduct constitutes a violation under the Intellectual Property Act No. 36 of 2003.
The claimants are therefore seeking Rs. 15 billion in compensation from the defendants for the financial loss, reputational harm, and misappropriation of confidential business information.
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