Nepal govt revokes 3 casino licences over unpaid dues: report

Apr 04, 2022 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck  

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Nepal’s Department of Tourism has reportedly revoked the respective licences of three casinos in the country, as the operators allegedly failed to pay outstanding duties and renewal fees within the deadline set by the Nepalese authorities, reports The Himalayan Times newspaper.

According to the local authorities, the licence of Rock International Pvt Ltd, Happy Hour Kathmandu, and Oriental Hotels (Radisson Hotel) Lazimpa were cancelled as per the nation’s casino regulations enacted in 2013. That was after the three casinos failed to pay outstanding fees amounting to an aggregate of NPR905.5 million (US$7.4 million), stated the report.

The media outlet quoted Khemraj Joshi, an official with the country’s Department of Tourism, as saying the government was compelled to take legal action against the three casinos as they “ignored” to pay their dues despite “repeated issuance of public notices urging them to do so.”

The official said a letter was sent on March 29 to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Police Headquarters requesting to implement the decision to revoke the licences of the three casinos.

In September last year, some casinos in Nepal reportedly resumed operations, after being shuttered for about 18 months due to government-imposed restrictions over the Covid-19 pandemic. All gaming venues in Nepal had been closed since March 24, 2020, when authorities enforced the first lockdown.

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