News
Pay US$ 100 to enter a casino
View(s):Anyone who wants to go to a casino or a registered gambling centre can do so only upon an entry payment of US$ 100 (Rs. 13,000), according to an amendment to the Betting and Gaming Levy Act.
The Betting and Gaming Levy (Amendment) Bill, gazetted on March 30 in keeping with the Government’s interim Budget proposals, states: “Every person who carried on the business of gaming in Sri Lanka for any year commencing on or after January 1, 2015, shall collect a levy (hereinafter referred to as the “casino entrance levy”) of United States Dollars one hundred or its equivalent in any other convertible foreign currency or in Sri Lanka currency from any person who enters such place of business of Gaming.”
Only managing directors, members of the board of management, employees or any officer authorised to enter such place of business in the exercise of his or her duties are excused from paying the fee.
The Bill also includes a schedule that stipulates annual levies for bookmakers. It shows a massive jump in the annual fee from Rs. 1 million per bookmaker for business carried out through agents up to April 2013; to Rs 2 million rupees per year between April 2013 and April 2015; and a massive Rs. 4 million per year after April 2015.
The annual levies charged from bookmakers for business conducted through live telecast facilities or without such facilities have also been hiked. So have the fees charged from persons carrying on the business of gaming.
The schedule states that the levy payable by each operator between April 2013 and April 2015 is Rs. 100 million “for carrying on the business of gaming including playing rudjino”. The same fee has been increased to Rs. 200 million per year after April 2015.