Sri Lanka has refused to allow casinos at three super-luxury resorts planned in the capital Getty. Share this with family and friends. Housing Affordability. Australian Currency. Economy of Australia. Sri Lanka rejects Packer casinos James Packer may rethink his investment in three planned super-luxury resorts in Sri Lanka after the government rejected their bid to include casinos.
Sri Lanka has refused to allow casinos at three super-luxury resorts planned in the capital after opponents said they would lead to prostitution, an official says. Developers, including Packer, wanted casinos to be part of all three luxury resorts, but the government rejected the plans, Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapakse said on Saturday. That we say very clearly," Rajapakse told parliament. He did not give a reason for the move, but opposition figures have raised fears that the casinos could lead to prostitution.
Although prostitution is illegal in Sri Lanka, foreign and local prostitutes frequent small-scale gambling operations in the country. Buddhist monk Athuraliya Rathane, a legislator, said his party opposed the new hotels because of worries gambling would spur prostitution and harm Buddhist culture. The main opposition United National Party UNP staged a demonstration in Colombo on Thursday accusing the government of encouraging prostitution through gambling. Packer's proposed room Crown Sri Lanka resort - which promises on its website to offer "world-class gaming facilities" - is one of those affected by the casino ban.
Crown had earlier said it was in "detailed discussions" with the government and potential joint venture partners and the deal was subject to "relevant approvals". The government gave approval for all three projects to go ahead, minus the casinos, and also granted year tax breaks - despite opposition. The UNP and even some of President Mahinda Rajapakse's own coalition partners broke ranks and voted against the tax concessions, but the government has a comfortable majority in the member legislature and passed the legislation.
The palm-fringed island nation legalised casinos in December , but the legislation has never been implemented. Sri Lankan officials have said they hoped high-end casinos could boost tourist arrivals to 2. Tourism suffered when government forces were locked in a decades-long combat with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels till , but with the end of fighting, the hospitality trade has grown steadily.
