Casinos in Nepal and Goa May Be Joining Forces

Nepal, and Kathmandu in particular, has long been renowned as the oldest gambling capital in South Asia. And although lawmakers have ordered the casinos to leave the country in 2011, some of them are still fully operational, with a strange status under Nepalese gambling laws.

In an interesting turn of events, Nepal Tourism Board revealed plans to create a mutually beneficial ring involving Kathmandu and Goa casinos to attract more foreign gamblers and subsequently earn more cash for government coffers.

Nepalese gambling news are reporting that the Board’s assistant manager, Udaya Bhattarai, opined that it’s up to private investors and entrepreneurs running the casino business in both countries to start up the cooperation and boost the synergy. He said: "Nepal Tourism Board is keen on it. But it is up to the private sector to start the process of partnership."

Although online casinos in Nepal do not exist, gamers do access foreign-based online gambling destinations on a regular basis. Which makes brick-and-mortar casinos lose money prompting them to seek new ways of gaining profits.

Indian Goa has five operational gambling establishments onshore, and a dozen of casinos in five star hotels around the region. However, Kathmandu’s reputation as a gambling capital dates back several decades, and still attracts Indian gamblers making Goa’s establishments suffer.

Bhattarai continued: "The casino industry has contributed as an economic activity to Nepal and ensured high quality tourists visit us."

Another danger, lying before Nepalese casinos, is the recent increase in the royalty by the Nepal government, which some industry experts say could force some casinos to close down.