Macau’s leading junket operator Suncity Group has inked a partnership with a major casino project in Cambodia’s Sihanoukville province.

On Wednesday, Suncity Group Holdings Ltd informed the Hong Kong Stock Exchange that it had entered into a strategic partnership with Golden Sun Sky Entertainment Co Ltd, which is building a US$360m, 650k-square-foot integrated resort in Sihanoukville that hopes to open to the public by the end of 2019.

Suncity says its role will be to provide “certain consultancy services” to Golden Sun Sky’s resort, which has been licensed to operate casino gaming, sports betting, hotels and duty-free market facilities in Cambodia. However, Suncity says its obligations could expand as the parties formalize specific contracts.

Sihanoukville, located on Cambodia’s southwestern coast, has witnessed an influx of Chinese nationals in recent years thanks to a flood of local infrastructure projects and increased tourist travel. Where the Chinese go, gambling inevitably follows, and Sihanoukville has witnessed an explosion in small-scale land-based and online gaming operations that has concerned some local officials.