Nepal Government Introduces New Casino Rules

The Government of Nepal has introduced a set of new rules relating to sharing of information about gamblers, management of assets and monitoring for suspicious activities.

As per the new rules, operators of brick-and-mortar casinos are required to maintain a record of visitors and players at the properties. Gambling venues should also deny access to those who are believed to be involved in suspicious activities.

The new rules mandate that the casinos must inform the government and the Nepal Rastra Bank about wins or losses of more than NPR1 million within a 15-day period. If the gambling venues suspect that a patron uses suspicious money, it has to compile a report and notify the NRB’s Financial Information Unit within a three-day period.

Under the recently adopted rules, operators of gambling venues must submit reports to the Department of Tourism in every four months. The reports must contain information proving that the casinos are not used for money laundering. Properties failing to submit the required reports could face fines of up to NPR50 million.

The newly imposed rules also contain provisions relating to sharing information about customers, casino operators and staff members. If casinos change staff, they must inform the authorities about the changes within a 15-day period.