(COLOMBO) – Sri Lanka is ready to open more casinos throughout the country in order to boost its flagging economy and at the same to attract foreign visitors, a top Minister informed Parliament on Friday.
Fresh applications have been received for Ten new casinos but the Government is yet to grant its approval, State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said.
He was responding to a question by a Buddhist Monk MP Athureliye Rathana Thera if there were moves to open up more casinos including Kandy, the sacred Buddhist city situated in the central hill capital of the country.
“We have brought in new laws pertaining to casinos and therefore a sum of Rs. 500 million will be charged when granting a license for a period of five years. We also intend to increase entrance fees for casinos. Our intention is to discourage locals from going into casinos,” the Minister said.
“We have to introduce casinos to attract tourists so that it would be possible to increase State revenue. If not, we will have to depend on taxes charged from locals to increase State revenue,” he added.
“One wonders whether the government expects people to visit casinos in Kandy after worshiping the Sacred Tooth Relic,” MP Athureliye questioned.
At present there is some two dozen or more legalized casinos in the country along with hundreds of thousands of bookies that accepts bets for horse races in England and elsewhere.
An outspoken female lawmaker Diana Gamage has repeatedly called for the expansions of casinos and even night club centres throughout the country warning that the island-nation is still living in the stone age.
She has also called for the relaxing on the opening and closing hours of liquor outlets and also seeks the legislation of locally grown cannabis for local consumption and even export.
