Nepal's billion-rupee casino industry faces trouble
When Casino Nepal, the first casino in Asia, was started in 1968 by then king Mahendra's younger brother, it was open only to foreigners on the ground that if Nepalis were admitted, they would gamble away all their money.
Nearly five decades later, though other sweeping changes have overtaken the former sleepy Hindu kingdom, transforming it into a federal secular republic, the restriction still remains in place, to the protest of hundreds of Nepalis and the industry.
A Nepali gambler or anyone else gambling illegally faces a fine of nearly NRS 200 for a first time offence, a short imprisonment if found guilty again and a year behind bars for erring a third time.
The eight casinos in Kathmandu - making Nepal the casino capital of South Asia - are raided frequently by police to arrest Nepali gamblers and this week, for the first time, police filed cases against the officials of five casinos in the capital, saying they regularly flouted the ban on Nepalis.
'In India, one has to be above 18,' he says. 'In Malaysia, there is a restriction on Muslims on religious grounds as gambling is considered against Islam. In some countries, you have to be a tax-payer. But none puts a blanket ban on its own nationals, like Nepal.'
Police say the crackdown on casinos is also due to the rising incidents of crime and violence like shootings and robberies enacted by desperate gamblers to pay off gambling debts.
But the industry, that is also one of the biggest employers in Nepal and a prime tourist attraction, says the raids on casinos will dim Nepal's attraction to tourists, especially from India and Bangladesh who seek the casino packages.
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