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Will thsi new casino law affect the Rey?
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Author:  Enanocubano [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:31 am ]
Post subject:  Will thsi new casino law affect the Rey?
Read below. Seems we won't be able to gamble all night/day long anymore, nor get free drinks (Rey never did anyway, but the Horseshoe did).


Whats the word in the gulch on this news?

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Arias government acts to restrict casino operations

By Elise Sonray
of the A.M. Costa Rica staff


The Arias administration took steps Thursday to discourage the casino business in Costa Rica. Various ministries unveiled a total of five decrees that, among other things:

• emphasize the unenforced restriction that casinos must be within hotels rated at three stars or higher by the Instituto Costarricence de Turismo;

• created a special health permit for casinos that will cost $5,000 a year;

• forbids free alcoholic drinks in casinos;

• sets casino hours at 6 p.m. to 2 a.m.;

• suggests that casino owners and others will have to donate for psychological help for addicted gamblers;

• appears to put the operation of slot machines under the consumer protection laws and demands a payback of 85 percent by the casino to players;

• requires the casino owner to be the same as the owner of the hotel;

• brands casinos as places that can encourage prostitution, drug addiction and insecurity.

The decrees, that will have the force of law when published in the la Gazeta official newspaper, did not establish any other special taxes for casinos. The measures set a six-month window for compliances except some of the major rules, like the one that says a casino must be part of a hotel, go into force immediately.

The decrees also did not address the flourishing business of online casinos that are run without any supervision whatsoever in Costa Rica.

At a press conference to announce the decrees Thursday afternoon there was little said about casinos, such as the Horseshoe at Avenida 1 and Calle 9 that are not part of a hotel. The officials said there were 48 existing casinos that are associated with hotels in the country.

There was no mention of the plans by an international/Russian casino company to set up shop in Costa Rica. The company is remodeling the Hotel Bulevar just off the Avenida Central pedestrian mall. Local officials have vowed to try to keep the company out of Costa Rica.

The rules for having a casino in a hotel say that only 15 percent of the space of the hotel can be dedicated to gambling. This is similar to the contents of a casino proposal that is languishing in the Asamblea Legislativa. A series of casino proposals has been awaiting action for years.

The decrees, on the other hand, are done deals, signed by President Óscar Arias Sánchez and relevant ministers. Some casino operators are certain to appeal the measures to the Sala IV constitutional court. One ground might be the ex post facto nature of some of the rules that are being imposed on existing operations.

One decree is dedicated to the addicted gambler. The decree seeks to cast the condition as a mental infirmity. It cites a 1980 declaration by the World Health Organization.

There were other health concerns. The health minister, María Luisa Ávila Agüero, said that another danger exists when gamblers win a lot or lose a lot and run the risk of having a heart attack. Members of the audience laughed and acted as if the health minister had told a joke, but she quickly said that such events were serious problems.

Another decree spells out the need for a casino to be an adjunct to a hotel and not the other way around. The idea originally was to use casinos to
Carlos Ricardo Benavides, the minister of Turismo, said that Costa Rica is not Las Vegas and that he does not think people come here to gamble.


stimulate tourism in Costa Rica. However, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, the minister of Turismo, said that Costa Rica is not Las Vegas and that he does not think people come here to gamble.

The clientèle of most casinos now appear to be residents rather than tourists, although that might not be the case in geographically isolated hotels.
Some casinos in the metropolitan area are 24-hour a day operations and employee armies of dealers and support personnel. The decrees would seem to put people out of work if the time allocated for gambling is eight instead of 24 hours.

The hotel rules say that a casino must be in a hotel with at least 60 rooms. The well-known downtown hotels seem to meet this requirement. The Hotel Del Rey has 104 rooms, employees said. The Sleep Inn, the hotel associated with the Casino Colonial, has 86 rooms. A casino can have 10 gaming tables for the first 60 rooms. There are increments after that.

One problem for the Casino Colonial will be the fact that the management maintains two casinos on the premises. A smaller one is a non-smoking casino. The decrees forbids more than one casino per hotel.

The casino also can have one slot machine for each hotel room, said the decrees. Until now there did not seem to be any oversight on the payback of slot machine money as winnings. The decrees say that payback must be at least 85 percent, and there is a complicated certifying process involving the Ministerio de Gobernación, Policía y Seguridad Pública. Some Las Vegas casinos promise a 97 percent payback. The decree also prohibits slot machines anywhere but in casinos.

The decrees were constructed by an executive branch commission that was set up just last March 26. Also deeply involved in the drafting was Laura Chinchilla Miranda, vice president and minister of Justicia y Gracia. She also is the acting security minister until April 25.

Storm International is the company that said in late February that it would invest $5 million to refurbish a downtown hotel. The casino rules seem to be directed at this newcomer. The proposal would just meet the decreed requirements. The project will include a 60-room hotel, said the company at the time.

Storm International said it is diversifying and opening casinos overseas because of restrictive laws being passed in the Russian Republic that require the firm to put casinos in geographic zones. Costa Rican officials are nervous because Russian gambling operations and many other businesses are influenced by ex-KGB officials who are ruthless in business and related criminal activities
Author:  Icantstayaway [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:41 am ]
Post subject: 
This is going to be a 5 pager .

It says these were decrees by a special new leg of the government and are already passed and will all go into efect by 6 months.I

That would be bad for the DR if people could only gamble from 6pm to 2am.

They would fare better than the other casinos because of their liqueur and beer sales. They will still have a daily crowd. It would really dent the other Casinos.

I'm sure this will get at least somewhat repealed.
Author:  Irish Drifter [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:04 am ]
Post subject: 
The story in Inside Costa Rica gives a clearer picture of which regulations will effect new casinos and which will have an effect on existing ones. Obviously the HDR casino will remain but with limited hours. I think the real question is what is the effect on the Horseshoe?

Quote:
New Rules For Casinos: Limited Hours and No Free Liquor
A series of presidential decrees and an executive order has changed the luck of casinos operating in Costa Rica, limiting new casinos to operate only in hotels with a minimum three star category by the Instituto Costarricence de Turismo (ICR), hotels that have at least sixty rooms and offer complete services.

In addition, casinos cannot occupy more than 15% of the hotels floor space and cannot have direct access to the street.

Vice-president Laura Chinchilla explained that the casino operation is supposed to be strictly complimentary to the hotel operation and not autonomous as is the case with many casino operations now.

New and existing hotels will also have new requirements that will limit the casino function from 6:00pm to 2:00am, removing the 24 hour operation and cannot offer free liquor to the players and not allow the entrance of minors.

Existing casinos have six months to comply with the new regulations.

"The country is not a gaming destination, for that there are places that are paradise for games, like Las Vegas", said Carlos Ricardo Benavides, minister of Tourism.

The ministerio de Gobernación y Policía (the same ministry that governs immigration) will be responsible to ensure compliance to the new government regulations that affect casino operations.

Businesses that do not comply with the regulations can face losing their operating licenses.

The ministerio de Salud (Health ministry) has also declared casinos a place of public interest and as such casinos must obtain a special health permit to continue to operate, the permit costing us$5.000. In addition, casino owners are expected to donate to fund to help gambling addiction.

The regulations will go in effect once it is pubblished in the official government plubication La Gaceta and does not include any new taxes for casinos, but does limit slot machines to one per room in the hotel, that is an 80 room hotel can have a maximum of 80 slot machines in the casino and payouts by the machine must be at least 85%.

The regulation does it touch online casino operations.

Casinos like the Fiesta Casino near the airport appear to be free standing casino operations are really part of the Garden Court hotel property. The casino currently operates on a 24 hour basis.

The new regulations will greatly affect employment at the Fiesta, as well as other casinos operating 24 hours, who employe a great number of people, from dealers to support personnel, to meet the demands of a 24 hour operation.
Author:  Senordos [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:38 am ]
Post subject: 
Enanocubano wrote:
Quote:
... nor get free drinks (Rey never did anyway,...)


Although not my favorite place to gamble, the Hotel Del Rey has always provided me free drinks while playing.
Author:  Mia2Ewr [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 1:48 pm ]
Post subject: 
Senordos- agreed.
Author:  Mucho Gusto [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 2:21 pm ]
Post subject: 
The HDR still comps you drinks while you're sitting at the tables. Unless they've changed that policy in the past 4 days! :shock:
Author:  Mulletguter [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 3:29 pm ]
Post subject: 
With all the waitresses, bartenders, dealers, etc. that will be losing their jobs, there will be a big increase in the talent pool at the DR. :D
Author:  Spanky [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 3:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
Mulletguter wrote:
With all the waitresses, bartenders, dealers, etc. that will be losing their jobs, there will be a big increase in the talent pool at the DR. :D


Not everyone who works at the HDR is a puta nor ever wants to be a puta. They work there because its a decent job and it puts food on their family's table. It would suck to lose their jobs because some moralist in the government got their panties in a wad about casinos.
Author:  Orange [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:32 pm ]
Post subject: 
85% payout on slot machines? :roll:

If they raise the current 15% to 85%, the hookers will more more money playing than hooking. :lol:
Author:  TonyTC [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 5:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
Orange wrote:
85% payout on slot machines?

If they raise the current 15% to 85%, the hookers will more more money playing than hooking. :lol:


Hey Orange, it will just take longer for them to lose their stake... They don't stop until their bucket is empty... 8) 8) 8)
Author:  Fuzebox [ Fri Apr 11, 2008 7:26 pm ]
Post subject: 
What's really disturbing is how Oscar Arias seems to be able to make laws without votes or anything.

Pretty ridiculous, if Costa Rica didn't have 24 hour casinos with free drinks, I probably wouldn't have stayed when I came here 3 years ago.
Author:  Kiltman88 [ Sat Apr 12, 2008 2:37 pm ]
Post subject:  CR
What happened is some lost Kalifofina liberals arrived and started to make CR the next NANNY state
Author:  Mike321 [ Sat Apr 12, 2008 5:41 pm ]
Post subject: 
If it's not broke don't fix it.
Author:  Irish Drifter [ Sat Apr 12, 2008 10:57 pm ]
Post subject: 
Mike321 wrote:
If it's not broke don't fix it.


Obviously the powers that be in Costa Rica feel it is broken and they are going to fix it. :lol: :lol:
Author:  Mike321 [ Sun Apr 13, 2008 7:12 am ]
Post subject: 
But will it last?
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