According to Purna Chandra Bhattarai, joint secretary at Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoTCA), it is mandatory for the casinos to register themselves before starting operation and a delay in registering or renewing the license would result in the cancellation of the license.
Following the suggestions of Ministry of Home and Finance, the Ministry of Tourism had forwarded the draft regulation to the government with an aim to simplifying the licensing process and to regulate the casinos as per the international standard. The cabinet meeting held last Thursday decided to formulate the new regulation to bring the casinos in order.
Joint Secretary Bhattarai said, “Unlike the previous licensing system, the new regulation has classified casinos and mini-casinos and revised the registration and renewal charges.”
Not just the starred hotels but private companies can also get the license for operating casinos, Bhattarai said, adding, but the management must meet the new criteria set as per international standards.
Five star hotels that operate casino will have to pay Rs 40 million and four star hotels Rs 30 million per year to the government as per the new regulation, he said.
Five star hotels have to deposit Rs 250 million as a paid-up capital and four star Rs 150 million to operate the casino business, he added.
The ministry said the new regulation requires Rs 5,00,000 in registration fees and Rs 20 million for receiving the license.
The regulation has also emphasized on the monitoring mechanism of the casino.
“The government authorities will monitor the casinos to prevent entry of Nepali gamblers, conduct regular examination of their machines and classify them according to the quality of their service.”
"Daily record of people entering the casino and pay out records have been made mandatory," said Bhattarai, adding, "The total number of coins, machines and values of the coins also should be transparent, and the casino holders are strictly prohibited to provide loans to the gamblers."
The casino operators will have to invest 2 percent from their profit on social development as part of their corporate social responsibility initiative. From now onward, foreign companies can also invest in casinos in Nepal.
The new regulation will be published soon in Nepal gazette.
“We are prepared to assist the government in implementing the new regulation,” AIG Nawa Raj Dhakal, Police Commissioner of Metropolitan Police Commissioner Office.
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