Gaming operator Berjaya Corp Bhd is punting on its Asian neighbors to bring in the profits as the Malaysian government refuses to budge from its sports betting stand.

In an interview with reporters in Japan, Berjaya founder Vincent Tan said they remain “hopeful that the government will relook its stand on sports betting in the country, as well as break the monopolies in the casino and pay television markets.”

“Ascot Sports Sdn Bhd is still there, we have first right of refusal,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the Four Seasons Hotel and Hotel Residences Kyoto’s official opening in Kyoto, according to The Sun Daily.

Ascot, which Berjaya bought in 2010 for $163.9 million, had been approved for the reissuance of a license to carry out sports betting operations by the Ministry of Finance in 2010—before the government decided against allowing sports betting in the country.