Nepal govt again shuts down Casino Royale

Nov 24, 2014 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck  

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The Casino Royale gaming property in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu has again been shut by the authorities – only two months after reopening following an earlier period of enforced closure – reports the Nepali media.

The reason for the latest closure was the property not having renewed its licence as per new regulations introduced earlier this year, reported the República newspaper on its website, quoting local officials.

But the online report quoted the casino’s management saying it had been paying off in instalments government dues it owed, after the country’s Supreme Court had in September granted it permission to reopen.

The media outlet said the latest closure on Friday executed by local police, had been on the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The report added that the property employed a total of 750 people.

The venue’s website says that during normal operations the casino – within the premises of Hotel Yak & Yeti – is open 24 hours per day and offers the live dealer table games of roulette, blackjack, pontoon, baccarat and kitty, as well as slot games.

On April 19, the ministry in Kathmandu – a city where according to the Times of India newspaper eight of the country’s 10 casinos are located – had declared all such venues in Nepal illegal. That was on the grounds that none of them had obtained new operating licences by April 18, reported a number of regional media outlets at the time.

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