Forbes Malaysia's Top 50 Richest List for 2026 was recently unveiled, with the gaming industry emerging as a force that cannot be ignored. Lim Kok Thay, the helmsman of Genting Group, ranks 15th with a fortune of $1.65 billion, while the family of the late founder of Golden World Holdings, Chen Li Ke, ranks 20th with a wealth of $1.4 billion. The inclusion of two gaming industry magnates reflects the ongoing significance of Southeast Asian gaming assets in the regional economic landscape. Now 74, Lim Kok Thay stepped down as CEO of Genting Group in February 2025, ending nearly two decades in the role, but still holds multiple core positions within the group—he was appointed chairman and director of the operating entity of Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore at the beginning of the year, and also serves as chairman and acting CEO of Genting Singapore, covering board supervision, strategy formulation, senior management, and risk control. On the Chen family side, after the founder Chen Li Ke passed away in December 2023, his son Chen Yi Feng took over as CEO of the group, continuing to steer the largest casino resort complex on the Indochinese Peninsula, Golden World Entertainment City in Phnom Penh.
Lim Kok Thay's Business Empire
Lim Kok Thay's business empire, with Genting Group as its flagship, extends its reach from Malaysia to Asia, North America, and Europe. Genting operates the only casino license in Malaysia—Resorts World Genting, and also owns assets in integrated resorts such as Resorts World Sentosa in Singapore and Resorts World Las Vegas in the USA, with ventures in the UK and the Bahamas as well. This asset allocation across jurisdictions provides Genting with a natural hedge against fluctuations in single market regulations.
Chen Family's Indochinese Peninsula Fortress
The Chen family's wealth is deeply rooted in Golden World Holdings, which owns Golden World Entertainment City in Phnom Penh. This integrated resort holds a Cambodian casino license valid until 2065 and enjoys an exclusive monopoly in the capital area of Phnom Penh until 2045. The market position of the largest casino resort complex on the Indochinese Peninsula, combined with its long-term license moat, forms the core valuation support for the Chen family's wealth. After Chen Yi Feng took over, Golden World Holdings has continued its dominance in the Cambodian gaming market, but changes in the regional competitive landscape—especially the relaxation of gaming policies in neighboring countries like Thailand and Vietnam—are becoming key variables affecting its future valuation.
PASA Official Website continues to track the dynamics of Asia-Pacific gaming capital, noting the inclusion of gaming tycoons in this list, which echoes the overall appreciation trend of Southeast Asian gaming assets in recent years. From Genting's global diversified layout to Golden World's regional monopoly cultivation, these two distinctly different business models together validate the scarcity premium of Southeast Asian gaming licenses. As the regional gaming regulatory landscape continues to evolve, whether this scarcity can continue to translate into shareholder value will be the core variable determining the rankings in the next list.
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