Sri Lanka officials have announced they have turned down building requests from the Packer casino group at three of their luxury resorts. The opposition party of the proposals warned locals that allowing such establishments would attract unwanted and illegal industries such as prostitution.
The proposal for the construction of three Packer casino’s have obtained over $1.3 billion (£772m) through investments from the likes of gambling mogul James Packer. James runs a highly successful chain of casinos within Melbourne, Perth, Macau and London.
Developers wanted the casinos to be integrated within three luxury resorts in Colombo however government officials rejected the plans.
Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapakse said to reports at Colombo that casinos are strictly forbidden and the laws surrounding such gambling establishments are not open to negotiation, not now or in future. Additional opposition to the plans also saw locals raise the issue of increased prostitution, which can be linked to gambling establishments around the world.
Athuraliya Rathane, a Buddhist monk and legislator, said his party would strongly oppose the new hotels on account of worries that it would spur prostitution, which could inevitably harm Buddhist culture. When speaking to reporters in Colombo the monk said that his party voted against the concessions as a warning to the government to correct its course.
There has been no immediate response made by the casino developers in relation to the ban or any issues raised.
A casino, which was blocked by the government ban, was to be incorporated within a 450-room Crown Sri Lanka resort, the establishment would promise players a “world-class gaming” facility. The public were made aware of the plans through Crown’s statement of being in detailed discussions with the government and that the deal may incorporate additional partners, subject to “relevant approvals”.
Sri Lanka officials have given the go-ahead for the leisure resorts to be constructed without the casinos. A perk offered to the developers to attract local investment included a 10-year tax break, which has caused a vast amount of opposition.
Pro-gambling Sri Lankan officials have proposed that high-end gambling establishments could boost the overall tourist arrivals to 2.5 million annually by 2016. This comes at a time when, up until 2009, the country had declining tourist levels on account of decades long fighting with separatist Tamil Tiger rebels. The fighting ceased in 2009 and local tourist levels have been growing gradually ever since.