Anambra State government has ordered hotel owners and manager in the state to suspend gambling even as it has summoned stakeholders meeting to stamp out what it called rising cases of fraudulent gambling in the state.
According to an official statement, hotels, restaurant and bars where the operations of casinos are being conducted, have been directed to suspend them until after the meeting when the government would iron out the modalities to ensure that they meet acceptable international standards.
The statement jointly signed by Mr. Donatus Onyenji, Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism; Richard Madiebo, Chairman, Anambra State Internal Revenue Service and Chikodi Angra, Commissioner for Homeland affairs, disclosed that Governor Chukwuma Soludo was emphatic that a situation in which people were being shortchanged would not be allowed in Anambra state.
The statement further disclosed that the governor was disturbed by the number of petitions pertaining to the manipulation of casino machines and non-transparency in payment for winnings, he had continued to receive, added that it amounted to serious abuse of global best practices in the industry which the government under his watch would not be condoned.
The statement, said: “This fraudulent practice will not be allowed to thrive under the watch of Prof Chukwuma Soludo’s administration and therefore must be dealt with immediately. Consequently, the Anambra government hereby directs operators of casino games in Hotels, Restaurant and Bars to suspend all Gaming and Casino operations with immediate effect pending the conclusion of investigations.”
Based on this, the government therefore called for a meeting of all hotel owners and managers in the state on October 21 at the Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, the statement said, adding that the meeting which is mandatory would address issues of enumeration and validation of hotel licenses as well as security.
It said hotel revalidation forms would be distributed at the venue for all categories of hotels and tourism enterprises and that any hotel that was not profiled or without Hotel License would be closed down according to Anambra State Tourism and Hospitality Law.
