Vientiane (dpa) – Laos closed a casino on the Chinese border after reports of criminal activities in the zone under Chinese management, news reports said Wednesday. The Lao National Committee for Special Economic Zones has decided to turn Boten Golden City in Luang Namtha province, 350 kilometers north of Vientiane, from a gambling town into a commercial and cultural center, the Vientiane Times reported. “There has been speculation over criminal activity in the gambling town, which forced the government to close the casino,” the state-run newspaper reported. According to Chinese media reports, there have been several incidents of Chinese nationals being detained and tortured at Lao casinos after failing to pay their gambling debts. Lao Deputy Prime Minister Somsavat Lengsavad said the government will no longer allow casinos to be established in the special zones “after finding such operations created serious problems for Laos, especially in regard to security.” An exception will be the casino set up in the Golden Triangle Special Economic Zone, near the Lao-Thai border, which was established before the government's change in policy, he said. Gambling is illegal in China and Thailand, creating a huge market for casinos set up in Laos, which borders both countries. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/e9DPG Tags: Casino, China, Laos Section: Business, East Asia, Latest News, Southeast Asia
