The Crown International Games Club in Danang, Vietnam appears to have found the right formula in attracting a regular clientele of VIP gamblers from Mainland China, who once used to frequent Macau’s casinos.

Casinos in the Philippines, South Korea, Vietnam and Cambodia have all targeted VIP gamblers from Mainland China once it became clear that they were no longer willing to risk playing at Macau’s casinos due to the anti-corruption campaign, and the fact that Macau’s government is tightening its gaming laws and changing the overall gambling image of Macau.

Most of the casinos in these neighbouring countries invested heavily into the marketing and promotion strategies but have so far not been very successful in attracting a regular flow of VIP gambling clientele from Mainland China. The Crown International Games Club in Danang which is owned by Chinese businessman Hui Kong has tended to use a very low key promotional strategy and instead relied on junket operators to bring in these high rollers who tend to place minimum bets of around $129,030 in each trip.

The Crown club is very small when compared to Macau’s Grand Lisboa casino or the Wynn Macau, but under the guidance of Hui Kong has opened up 13 VIP rooms that have an opulent ambience and caters to these high rollers. While the casino is yet to officially confirm the revenue generated from its VIP clientele, industry analysts believe that VIP clientele generated close to $3 billion each month. These figures are staggering considering the fact that bigger casinos like Genting Highlands in Malaysia; NagaCorp in Cambodia and Solaire in the Philippines do less than $2 billion per month.

Junket operators in Vietnam are also happy to work with casinos in Danang as the friendly gaming laws, the relaxed environment and the exciting nightlife makes it a great gambling destination to promote in Mainland China. Hugo Huang, a junket operator, runs two chartered flights a week from China to Vietnam to bring in his clientele who find Danang very comfortable. In November, Huang organized a special golf tournament, pop music concert and a lavish buffet for 100 VIP gamblers who felt to Danang.

In a statement, Ben Lee, managing partner at IGamiX, an Asian gaming consultancy said “This is a test case of a casino going under the radar that is doing extremely well. There is no other destination I know where the junket and casino organize 25 charter flights a week from China.”