By Karuna Thapa
Kathmandu, March 31
Three casinos that have not paid their dues have been written to the government by the
Department of Tourism. Prem Bahadur Ale, the Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, has given the casinos five days to clear the debts.
The Department of Tourism has written a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Naxal Police Headquarters to close the casino because the casinos have not paid their dues to the government within the deadline, according to Khemraj Joshi, Hotel and Casino Supervising Officer at the Department of Tourism.
The department has announced that the casino firms’ licenses have been withdrawn in accordance with Rule 14 of the Casino Rules, 2070, since they have frequently written to the casino companies requesting that they pay the arrears.
Up to FY 2076/07, regular royalties and renewals have yet to be received. According to the
department, 17 enterprises have paid royalties totaling Rs. 870 million into government
accounts.
