Nepal casino and gaming update for 2016

The original site of Asia’s first casino, Casino Nepal, opened in 1968.  (Casino Nepal is now Casino Mahjong at Crowne Plaza Soaltee).   From 1968 to the present, the casino industry here has been a roller coaster ride.

In the last 3 years the Nepal casino industry has been affected not only by the government's new gaming legislation, but also the devastating earthquake of April 25th 2015.

Many times since the early 1990’s the government has come down hard on casinos for various regulatory reasons and non-payment of taxes and gaming fees.

After threatening on many occassions to close all casinos down for failing to clear outstanding payments to the Nepalese government they finally passed and introduced new casino regulations in April, 2013. Acting on the rules of the new Casino Regulations 2013 the government closed all of Kathmandu’s casinos on April 20th 2014, because they failed to pay up and renew license as per the new guidelines.

Casinos in Nepal started operations again in September of 2014.   Casino Royale at the Yak & Yeti hotel resumed its operations September 23rd after it received go-ahead from the Supreme Court on September 21st. But Casino Royale’s operating period was shortly lived after it was forcefully shut on November 22nd on the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), MoCTCA officials said the casino was being operated illegally and had not renewed it's license based on new Casino Regulations.

Finally casinos in Nepal got their chance again and began to re-start their operations in the first two months of 2015:

Silver Heritage was the first to open a casino under the new Nepal Casino Rules, putting Nepal firmly back on the map for players from nearby India and China.  Located inside the luxurious Shangri La Hotel & Resort in Kathmandu’s affluent embassy district, Nepal’s first international class casino, Millionaire’s Club and Casino, opened in early 2015.  Millionaire's Club houses more than 20 table games and 36 slot machines.

Casino Mahjong at the Hotel Soaltee Crown Plaza with the a gaming floor of 60,000 square feet is Kathmandu’s most renowned and well-established casino.

Casino Royale at Hotel Yak & Yeti also resumed its operations on February 1st after the Supreme Court issued an order allowing the casino to run as per the earlier regulations.

In mid-October 2015, the Goa-based Goa Coastal Resorts and Recreational Pvt Ltd opened Casino Pride at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kathmandu.

The only 2 casinos outside the capital in Pokhara that do not seem likely to re-open anytime soon are the Casino Pokhara Grande and Casino Fulbari which closed their doors days after the Casino Regulations 2013 law came into effect.

Times have been tough since the four Kathmandu casinos which opened in early 2015 with the combination of the earthquake in April of that year followed by an unofficial border blockade by India, both events severely damaged business.

Luckily in 2016, things seem to be rapidly improving and Nepal’s casino industry is forecast to bounce back.  According to Union Gaming Analytics, an industry consultant, the Indian market could have the potential for US$4 billion in gaming revenue and Nepal casino insiders say operators are perfectly positioned to attract those players. Casinos are also pushing for a change in the law that currently bans Nepalese citizens from playing in the country’s casinos.

Two other new casinos could also open up, with Vegas City International, and Prime International and Recreation having applied for licenses. Delta Corp., an Indian gambling and Hospitality Company, also showed interest in managing a casino venue in the country.

Silver Heritage is currently developing its first casino resort along the Nepali border, aimed at serving one of the largest untapped gaming markets in the world. Tiger Palace Resort is scheduled to open in early 2017, and will provide customers with access to a 2,471m2 casino floor along with a wide range of entertainment, conference, wedding and dining options all served by a 100-room luxury hotel.

Widetech Bhd (out of Malaysia) re-opened it's four small electronic casinos along the Indian border in August 2014, after the company had closed them in April 2014 due to unfavourable new royalty fees imposed by the Nepal Government.  Another group operating small electronic casinos on the border is the Nepalese company CMG Clubs, which operate in 3 hotels.  Happy Valley, Silver Heritage’s sister company in Millionaire’s Club and Casino also operates electronic casinos on the Indian border.