Nepali police raided the Hotel Soaltee’s Mahjong Casino in Kathmandu on Tuesday night arresting eight people, including the property’s CEO and managing director, for allowing locals to gamble.
The executives who were arrested have been identified as CEO Om Karmacharya and MD Binod Shrestha, local media reported. The detained also included six Nepali gamblers.
The two casino workers were accused of encouraging and facilitating local gambling.
Nepal has one of the oldest casino industries in Asia, but does not allow its locals to gamble. Its main market is neighbouring India, where the expanding middle class is expected to prove a lucrative source of visitors for the Himalayan nation’s casinos.
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