The executive Governor of Anambra State; Prof. Charles Soludo has banned gambling operations of casinos and gaming centres domiciled in hotels and restaurants in the state, over alleged fraudulent deals, pending investigations.
In a statement jointly signed by the Commissioner for Culture, Entertainment and Tourism, Mr Donatus Onyenji; Chairman, Anambra State Internal Revenue Service, Richard Madiebo and the Commissioner for Homeland Affairs, Chikodi Anara; the temporary ban was due to several petitions, received recently by the state government regarding the manipulation of casino machines and non-transparency in payment of winnings to players.
According to the statement, the allegations amounted to fraudulent practice, of which the state government under Governor Charles Soludo’s administration, would not condone and therefore must be dealt with immediately.
Consequently, the Anambra State government directs all operators of casino games in Hotels, Restaurants and Bars in the state, to suspend all Gaming and Casino operations with immediate effect pending the conclusion of investigations.
Meanwhile, the government has summoned a mandatory meeting of all hotel owners and managers in the state on October 21 at the Prof Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, to address issues of remuneration 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, adding that any hotel that was not profiled or without Hotel License would be closed down according to Anambra State Tourism and Hospitality Law.
