With the new government’s interim budget deciding to impose a special tax of Rs. 1,000 million (Rs. 01 billion) from casino owners for each of their gaming centres, Sri Lankan businessmen Dhammika Perera and Ravi Wijeratne who have established several casinos in the island have decided to close down their gaming centres, www.adaderanabiz.lk learns from very reliable sources.

Dhammika Perera, considered the wealthiest person in Sri Lanka who owns three casino licenses has decided to close down two of them and continue with only the casino situated at D.R. Wijewardene Mawatha in Colombo.

Meanwhile, www.adaderanabiz.lk learns that another prominent Sri Lankan businessman Ravi Wijeratne is preparing to close down one of the two casinos owned by him.

According to the interim budget, each casino owner has to pay a special tax of Rs. 1,000 million for each casino license owned on before 15 April this year and the government expects a revenue of Rs. 05 billion through this.

Meanwhile, with the new government blocking casino business activities in Sri Lanka, Australian businessman James Packer too has stopped his hotel project with casinos in Colombo.

According to information, there are around 1,964 persons employed at Dhammika Perera’s casinos.