Nepalese Casino and Card Room Gaming

The casino industry in Nepal is regulated by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, which is responsible for licensing and compliance.

In 2013, Nepal’s government introduced a new licensing and tax fee structure under which non-compliant casinos were ordered to close in 2014 until they met the new requirements.Among the onerous terms placed on the casinos were a Rs 250 million capital investment fee, a Rs 500,000 application fee, a Rs 20 million licensing fee, and a Rs 10 million fee for renewing a license.

By 2015–2018, multiple casinos had re-licensed and reopened under the new framework, and today around a dozen casinos and mini-casinos operate in five-star properties and border-adjacent resorts, subject to annual licence and royalty fees and strict AML/KYC obligations.