Casinos in Nepal face bleak future over tax evasion

Casinos in Nepal who were eyeing some sunshine due to the festive New Year season got a bad news on Tuesday.

Updated on: Dec 28, 2010, 17:48:49 IST

Hindustan Times | By Utpal Parashar, Kathmandu

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Casinos in Nepal who were eyeing some sunshine due to the festive New Year season got a bad news on Tuesday.

The Public Accounts Committee of parliament directed the government to recover tax worth NRs 193 million (US $ 2.63 million) from five operators within a month or cancel their licenses.

Five casinos run in five-star hotels in Kathmandu and Pokhara have been under scanner for some time now for evading payment of taxes.

Two of these casinos are owned by Nepal Recreation Centre belonging to Rakesh Wadhwa, a 53-year-old Indian from Kolkata. He has two more casinos in Nepal.

Reports say that Wadhwa, the unrivalled king of the Nepal casino business till the start of this year, lost control of two of his casinos in recent months and has fled the country.

Informing media persons about Tuesday’s move, PAC chairman Ram Krishna Yadav said that licenses of casinos would also be cancelled if they flout rules and allow Nepali citizens to gamble.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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