Nepal's lawmakers put pressure on govt to re-open casinos

Nepal’s lawmakers have stepped up pressure on the Tourism Ministry to create a conducive environment to re-open the country’s casinos.

In a meeting of the Nepalese parliament's international relations and labour committee on December 24, lawmakers expressed dismay at the closure of the casinos, saying it had created a huge loss for the country's tourism industry. "We have Nepalis travelling to foreign countries to gamble at casinos, but the government has failed to re-open our own," Kantipur newspaper quoted a lawmaker as saying.

Lawmakers from the ruling parties as well as the opposition raised the issue of casino workers' salaries. Around 10,000 casino workers haven't received their wages following the closure, ordered by the government in April.

Suresh Man Shrestha, the secretary of the Tourism Ministry, said that his ministry faced a number of challenges--resuming the business, collecting revenues and dealing with court cases, according to the report. 

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