Nepal casino to resume operations

Nepal's Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said all of Nepal's closed casinos will be back up and running soon.

On April 19, the ministry in Kathmandu, the capital, where eight out of ten casinos in Nepal are located, declared all such places in Nepal illegal, according to the Times of India newspaper. That was because none of them had obtained new licenses until April 18. Many local media outlets reported at the time.

The finance minister said the government was holding talks with casino operators, trade unions and other stakeholders to get the casinos back up and running, Kantipur news website reported. "Protecting jobs is just as important as creating jobs," the minister was quoted as saying.

The government has ordered casinos to pay unpaid royalties and obtain new operating permits in line with regulations, Kantipur added.

The online publication also reported that Nepal's Financial Bill 2014-15 reduced the amount of royalties charged to casinos from 40 million NPR to 30 million NPR ($308,809). Fees for electronic games were reduced from 30 million NPR to 20 million NPR.

The government cut royalties last year following complaints from casino operators that fees implemented by casino rules were too high.

"As the government is positive about reopening casinos and legal operations, we are discussing various ways to make the new regulations flexible," said Madhusudan Bulakotti, head of the industry division that issues casino operational licenses.

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