Cool Casino
We understand that Cool Casino has just 30 days, to collects its potoshi, machines and all other belongings and vacate the premises at Riu Palace.
This is not a surprise. The company operating the casino have had a great numbers of warnings.
The recent court verdict makes it very clear that the operator of the casino, did not care for its people, and did not care for the country, he was here to make a quick buck, and nothing else was of interest to him.
While the company withheld taxes from employees, it was never handed over to the tax man.
Did they even have a bank account?
I am not sure, but this story is VERY reminiscent of the story of the Occidental Casino a few years ago, where the operator invented his own set of rules, and left a vast amount of debt behind, and his people on the street.
From what I understand, beside owing rent to the landlord and ignoring supplier invoices, the company operating Cool Casino allowed it to become rundown, and dirty, never repairing anything out of order.
As far as they were concerned, they were above the law!
Compliance? TEHEE!
The take-away:
Even with all the supervision and compliance laws currently in place we seem to be unable to stop careless operators from establishing themselves on the island.
We might need to go back to a place where the hotel itself operates the casino and/or hotels should start thinking whether having these operators is worth the trouble.
Especially in COVID times.
I am wondering what the government will do, if anything.
The casino licenses granted to the hotels are conditional to the casinos actually being open and operational. Will GOA say ‘enough is enough’ and start pulling these non-compliant licenses away?
The space could be used for retail or dining, and needn’t necessarily be a casino.
Guests who wish to gamble can do so on their tablets, on line!
On the other hand, the island is blessed by some decent, law-abiding, local casino operators, perhaps we should value them more.
A desperate search for an unreliable, foreign operator is not worth the effort.
One thing is clear, our vetting capabilities must improve.
